When it comes to hiring a chef, good cooking skills alone do not cut it with the straight-talking American chef-restaurateur Mario Batali. He says: "I'm looking for basic life education. I will look you in the eye and ask what matters to you - like your favourite book. I can teach you ingredients, but I can't teach you to be fascinated with them or be fascinating when you use them.

What makes you interesting is a general state of mind that will make you a better person who is more capable of leadership and inspiring people." Batali, 56, was in town recently for an In Conversation With session hosted by the Marina Bay Sands (MBS), where he spoke to 30 students from the Culinary Institute of America, Singapore, At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy and Temasek Polytechnic.

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Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/