Arun Kapil, spice specialist and cook
I am from . . .a loving household; an English mum from Yorkshire and a Hindu father from North India.
I spend a lot of time in London, where I . . .had a brilliant time in the music industry, probably best-described as a "music entrepreneur", working with the great and the good of the dance music scene.
What brought me to Ireland was . .. a course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. What has kept me here is my beautiful wife, Olive, and the wondrous beauty that is Ireland.
Now I am .. . a spice specialist and cook for my company Green Saffron, trading in the highest grade, freshest spices, making innovative blends and flavour combinations for home and commercial use.
On a typical day I'd . .. get up at 6am, drink a strong coffee, open the front door to smell the sea air, then jump in the van and head into Midleton to see what the day brings.
It gives me a buzz when . .. I'm on our stall at the farmers' markets.
I love what I do .. . except when when our shipments get delayed.
The hardest thing about what I do is .. . saying no.
What do you believe you bring to the Irish food industry?I like to think we're ripping up the rule book on how spices are conventionally traded, blended, presented, and incorporated, bringing a fresh perspective. Fresh alchemy is our game plan.
The best advice I've ever been given is .. . keep it simple.
If I wasn't doing this I'd . .. be learning how to make cheese.
The food scene in Ireland . . .is vibrant, alive and owns a sense of community.
Working with my wife Olive is . . .how we actually get to see each other – and the reason why my days aren't so typical.
When I'm not working I . .. watch Grand Prix, and films by the bucket load.
My earliest food memory is . .. my dad's snacks of Indian rice pudding (kheer) and mum's corned beef hash and baked bean suppers.
The best thing I've ever eaten is . . .quince, plucked straight from the tree, roasted, served with tart, creamy yoghurt.
My dream dinner party guests would be . .. I'd love a party set in the late 1960s with Myrtle Allen, Elizabeth David, Robert Carrier, Fernand Point and Tommy Cooper around the table.
And I'd cook them . . .I'd ask each of them to cook a course.
I'm passionate about . .. getting it right.
I'm really good at . . .numbers.
I wish I was better at . . .delegating.
I often imagine myself . . .on holiday in Deià, Mallorca.
Not many people know this about me, but . . .I used to play at right wing in rugby for our school team from the age of 16 to 18.
My guilty pleasure is . .. those swirly ice-creams you get from fast-food places with all kinds of chocolate-bar "sprinkles".
Green Saffron Spices is based in Midleton, Co Cork, see greensaffron.comand on Twitter at @greensaffron
In conversation with MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBY
