Five years ago, Australian-born chef Curtis Stone opened Maude – his acclaimed Beverly Hills restaurant, which picked up its first Michelin star this year.

In 2016, he added Gwen, a "chef-driven" butcher shop and fine-diner on Sunset Boulevard. A keen surfer, Stone lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.

Five things in my fridge…

Fresh berries and Greek yoghurt. Every morning I put some berries in a bowl and the kids smash them with a mallet, then eat them with the yoghurt. The more you get them interested in the process, the more they're willing to eat it. My wife's leftover vegie lasagne – the kids love it. Bolognese sauce; there's always one on the go. Loads of vegies and fruit. We grow a lot of our own. We have a butcher shop so always some Blackmore wagyu or good Aussie lamb.

I can't live without…

My Nenox knife. They're expensive but you get what you pay for. I'm a big believer in buying once and having it for life.

I'm embarrassed about…

The amount of food I throw out. I talk a lot about food waste but like everybody we get to the end of the week and there are those carrots you can bend in half without snapping and the out-of-date chicken breast lurking in the fridge.

My new hero ingredient

Harissa. It's not a new ingredient; it was pretty trendy for a while but I just never got into it. Now I use it with everything. It's great under the skin of a roast chicken.

Give me an egg and I'll…

Boil it and eat it with toast soldiers. My method: start with the egg in cold water, bring it to the boil and take it out after 90 seconds.

Go-to midnight meal

Tacos. There are so many little taco stands in LA. Carnitas please.

Easiest meal to impress the kids

My son's friend said he didn't like salmon so I roasted it until it was nice and caramelised then reduced some orange to add a little sweetness. And you know what? He liked it. I had to give his dad the recipe.

You'll never catch me with a…

Microwave. I just don't see the point of them. It's not that hard to reheat something.

I take my caffeine…

Espresso in the mornings, cappuccino at lunchtime and macchiato after dinner. I drink quite a bit of coffee. My favourite beans are St Ali from Melbourne; I get them shipped over here.

Curtis Stone is one of the award-winning chefs of SHARE by Curtis Stone aboard three premium Princess Cruises liners.