Nobu Matsuhisa

My business partner Robert De Niro knows a lot about hotels; he opened the Greenwich Hotel in New York City.

I cannot bring myself to wear the Nobu hats, or the Nobu T-shirts. But the chef's jacket, that is mine. And when I wear it, I am very proud of myself.

Napa cabbage is very beautiful, all those long, pale leaves with ruffled edges.

For my 16th birthday, my family took me to L'Auberge de L'Ill, which was family-run but had three Michelin stars. It was a revelation. After that meal, I realised this is what I want to do.

Being famous gets me good concert tickets, good tables in restaurants, good seats at sporting events and that's really about it.

The thing about Paris, it's a great city for wandering around and buying shoes and nursing a cafe au lait for hours on end and pretending you're Baudelaire. But it's not a city where you can work.