The head chef at Fumo Selfridges Birmingham, Alex Tumminelli. talks growing up in Southern Italy, grandmother’s slow cooked Sunday ragu, perfect pasta – and enjoying whale carpaccio in Norway!

Tell us about your cooking?

I’m from Calabria in Southern Italy and grew up with my grandmother’s cooking. A lot of what I cook comes from family recipes and traditional Italian dishes. It’s about simple ingredients, the right cooking time and getting the balance of the dish right. I eventually became more curious about different cuisines, like French, Spanish and Japanese. I’m always looking to learn something new and mix things up.

How did you become a chef?

Thirty years ago, there wasn’t as much ready-made food so everything was made fresh. My grandma and mother are big influences. They cook every day, and on Sundays for around 15 to 20 people! For me cooking is an act of love. It makes me proud when someone enjoys something I’ve made. My main training was in Italy before moving to the UK. I’ve worked alongside and learnt from lots of chefs, including Francesco Savino, who was my first trainer, as well as Antonino Cannavacciuolo and Giorgio Locatelli.

What do you eat at home?

Pasta, three or four times a week. I switch it up with different sauces and ingredients and I really like cooking with meat and fish as I think it’s important to have a balanced diet. There’s always room for dessert – nothing beats a tiramisu!

Who’s the best chef in the world and why? And who’s the best in Brum?

That’s a tricky question! In the world, I would say Massimo Bottura. He trained in France and later Spain and found a way to bring tradition and innovation together. In Birmingham, Adam Stokes from Adams Restaurant. His cooking is very close to what I would see as my ideal restaurant. He has a Michelin star and deserves that recognition.

What was your favourite food as a kid?

The Sunday Ragu. Slow cooked with pork, beef, or ribs. My grandmother would be up at 5.30am to start cooking before going to church at 10am. The meat would cook until around midday.

Food heaven and food hell?

Heaven is a classic carbonara – made with guanciale rather than pancetta – or fresh fish pasta. Hell would be cheese on fish as it destroys the flavour of the fish.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?

Whale carpaccio in Norway. It tasted more like lean meat with quite an iron flavour. It was nice and different from anything I had tried before.

Share a cooking tip

Make fresh pasta by mixing flour and eggs at an ambient room temperature. When you start mixing the dough, the gluten begins to stress itself, so leave it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes and cover with cling film and a bowl on top so no air gets in. This gives the gluten time to relax and makes sure it tastes how it’s supposed to.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?

I was previously in the Royal Navy, so I’d probably be a naval engineer.