Nick Munier: MasterChef judge and restaurateur

My biggest challenge is trying to give 110% each day.

They started auditioning 54 of us to present MasterChef. Then they whittled it down to 10, and then five, before they chose the final two.

The hardest part of MasterChef is having to eliminate someone each week. We are trying to find an exceptional home cook and all the contestants deserve to be there to showcase their skills. But it’s a pressurised environment, having to perform in front of the cameras, so it’s easy to have a bad week.

I find the pressure of that environment completely normal but then I am a bit of a stress monkey anyway. Cooking is like going on stage for me. I enjoy the buzz of the kitchen but you have to be organised and a professional chef is only as good as their team. The stress comes from having to rely on several different things going right so that you can make sure that your customers leave happy.

I grew up in the business as my parents ran a little hotel. I had a natural ability for the work as I’m quite affable. Originally I wanted to be a psychiatrist but didn’t have the brains for it.

The best dish I’ve ever eaten was pigs’ trotters with chicken liver and truffle mousse and a perigord sauce.

My advice to anyone who wants to get into the business is to start at the top and work your way down. By that I mean you are better off learning from the Roux brothers than you would be working in a two star hotel.

If I could cook for anyone living or dead, it would have to be Yves St Laurent. He was a man of such good taste that I’m sure he would have made a very discerning dinner guest.

If you are going to work hard, my advice is to make sure that you have something to show for it. And if you are going to serve the public, make sure you serve them as you yourself would like to be served. And work with people who have the same mindset as you.

I have biceps for the first time in my life. I’ve always eaten very well but recently I’ve become obsessed with fitness and now go to the gym four times a week.

To wind down, I paint abstract pictures. I use acrylics as they dry quickly. I normally have four or five paintings on the go. I started painting in the kitchen but now I’ve progressed to a studio out in the garden.

The traits I admire in others are a sense of humour and a good work ethic.

I waited until I was 40 to open my own restaurant, Pichet. I hated working for other people.

I’m quite an angry person but have learned how to deal with that anger, and I smoke a lot. It goes with the territory — when you are used to getting only five-minute breaks the obvious thing to do is to go to a quite dark place on your own and have a cigarette.

Kitchens can seem like quite aggressive places, if you don’t understand the environment. There is a lot of pressure on everyone, cooks don’t tend to eat a lot and there can be a lot of arguing and swearing — but it’s all just part of the job.

Balancing work and home life is tough. The kids are my life and it’s bad for me when I don’t get to spend enough time with them, but when you run your own business sometimes work has to come first.

Nick Munier is a brand ambassador for Carphone Warehouse and was in Cork to launch the iPhone 5 (16GB) which retails at €99 with Meteor and eMobile, €49 with Vodafone, and free with 02 and Three (all based on 24-month contracts). The final of MasterChef Ireland is on RTÉ Two on Thursday at 9.30pm.