With Bill Granger, the laughter always came first. You would hear a hoot or a cackle, then a tousle-haired bloke in a fresh white V-neck T-shirt would appear through the door, and it was like the sun coming out.

Very few people have the ability to bring instant sunshine into a room, but chef and restaurateur Bill Granger had it in spades. He did the same thing to the Australian cafe, to the breakfast menu, to cookbook publishing and to the handful of long and loyal business partnerships he had.