A minute with: Neofytos Christodoulou

Founder & Managing Director of UK restaurant chain Smashing Plates

Where do you live?

I live in London on my own

What did you have for breakfast?

A protein enhanced smoothie; banana, berries with some seeds and coconut milk

Describe your perfect day

Perfect non-holiday day: Woke up early, get on with work (creatively) then hit the gym and finish cooking and having dinner with my partner.

Perfect holiday day: at the beach with a cocktail!

Best book ever read?

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh, describing the race to solving what was deamed as the ‘most difficult mathematical problem’. It inspired me to pursue my maths degree at university of Cambridge where Andrew Wiles gave his legendary lecture(s) and his 200 page proof!

Best childhood memory?

Careless summer evenings playing with friends in the neighbourhoods

What is always in your fridge?

Lately capers which I love. I got some samples to test when experimenting with some dishes for our menu

What music are you listening to in the car at the moment?

I don’t drive but when in the underground I have been listening to more electronic music. From the London band The XX to the Berlin house/techno duo Âme

What’s your spirit animal?

I want to say elephant but doing an online test it says butterfly! Maybe a silver lining. The butterfly is a symbol of transformation and development. It is incredibly adaptable and approaches all changes with ease and grace.

What are you most proud of?

Experiences and learnings; from the university lecture halls to the trading floor of JP Morgan in London and NYC to the camp in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone to the festivals and street food markets of London. I met some incredible people and made long life friends.

What movie scene has really stayed with you?

The end from Closer with Natalie Portman walking through New York’s Times Square while the beautiful song Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice is playing. What a twist!

If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?

Melinda Gates, her work with the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation is incredible!

If you could time travel when/where would you go?

I would go to The Woodstock Music Festival which was held on August 15, 1969

What is your greatest fear?

A titanic kind of moment and being in the unknown in the sea in the dark

What would you say to your 18-year-old self?

Your parents are not always right!

Name the one thing that would stop you dating someone

Not sharing the same values and ethos

If the world is ending in 24 hours what would you do?

Spend time with my loved ones on a beautiful beach