Donald McInnes

Food & Nutritionist co-ordinator, West Dumbartonshire Council

• What was your favourite subject at school?

I have always been good with my hands and although food and nutrition was a brilliant subject for me at school, my actual favourite subject was craft and design with wood, metal, plastics

• What was your first job?

My first kitchen job was in a very small restaurant called “Le Mange Tout” at the age of 15 working weekends and evening shifts during the week while going to Edinburgh’s Telford College during the day learning my City & Guilds 706 1&2

• Which is your favourite restaurant /hotel?

I have far too many and far too many excellent chefs that produce some amazing food to mention but if I was to name one restaurant that is my go to place it has to be The Small Tavern on the back streets of an Italian City at 1am where home produced dishes are preprepared from scratch which has a history and a story to tell , red wine , home made bread , simple pasta with the freshest of tomatoes

• How do you inspire your team?

I strongly believe you lead by example; you go to work with a smile, you do something positive, you stay focused, you talk to your team, you engage, you show trust, you develop individuals, you listen, you empathise and above everything you enjoy what you do. Manage all of this and your team will follow and be inspired

• Which person in hospitality have you most admired / inspired you?

Again, as above, I have a lot of people and too many to mention that I have looked up to in the past and admired. There are a lot of individuals out there to this day that I admire but as a chef of the old school generation I have to say the chefs that I looked up to back in the day were Paul Bocuse, Anthony Bourdain, Joel Robuchon and Marco Pierre White

• How do you manage your stress levels?

I find that I work better under stress and when I am up against the wall, I always find a way to achieve the best result, but before I do any task, I always think how is it going to be for others and could there be any repercussions

• Instagram, Twitter or Facebook – and why?

I use Facebook the most as I have a lot of friends and ex colleagues who live all around the world and it is brilliant to stay in contact and stay connected

• If you had not gone into hospitality, where do you
  think you would be now?

I would more likely have been a fireman as I did a special fire course when I was 16/17 years old, and I loved it

• What did you do on your last days off?

We were over in Switzerland visiting our daughter who is at University in Bern doing a teaching degree

• What do you do to relax, to support your wellbeing?

I love my garden, and anything outdoors. I have Bonsai Trees (around 60 of them) plus I am a watch enthusiast again I have about 45 examples. I do a lot of hillwalking on the Scottish Munros. Plus, I have a wee cottage on the banks of Loch Fyne