Darina Allen: Max Rocha's Café Cecilia cookbook is full of recipes I've longed for

"Folks flocked to Café Cecilia for Max’s simple, seasonal food with Irish influences. His ethos is to keep things simple and delicious; I love his food…"

Max Rocha is that rare phenomenon, a chef without an ego, despite the fact that he comes from a family of high achievers, his father John Rocha and his sister Simone are fashion designers on the world stage.

Max’s first career was in the music management industry. He was desperate to succeed, and this led to bouts of depression as he struggled to fulfil the expectations of the bands.