A train chef who once received a handwritten thank-you note from Jamie Oliver has celebrated 50 years working on the railway. Mohammed Yousuf, known as Yousuf, was surprised by colleagues at London's Euston station to mark the milestone.
The 73-year-old Avanti West Coast employee prepares food in first-class kitchens onboard the operator's Pendolino fleet, which runs on the West Coast Main Line between Euston and Scotland. He said he feels 'fortunate to be doing something that I love every day'.
Yousuf recalled cooking for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who wrote a letter of thanks on a serviette. 'To receive thanks from a chef like him was a fantastic honour,' Yousuf said.
After moving from Pakistan, Yousuf began his career as a kitchen porter at a British Rail-run restaurant inside Euston in October 1975. He started cooking onboard trains in 1991, initially on British Rail's Motorail services, which carried passengers and their cars between London and Glasgow.
Paula Large, Avanti West Coast's onboard manager for catering support, praised Yousuf: 'He comes on the train every day with a smile on his face and he lightens the mood.' Yousuf added: 'I don't plan to stop cooking yet.'
