Michel Roux Jr, intrepid celebrity chef and owner of long established London restaurant Le Gavroche, has combined his passion for fine cuisine with a keen interest in electronic trading as he explained this week to British multi-asset CFD and spread betting company City Index in the latest installment of the company’s Celebrity Trader series, his methodology of using menu-building skills to design a trading portfolio.
Mr. Roux considers himself a relative novice with regard to electronic trading, however he likens selecting the right ingredients in order to appeal to the discerning palate of his customers to selecting the correct instruments to trade. When asked by City Index Chief Market Strategist Joshua Raymond whether a juxtaposition can be drawn between the two, Mr. Roux explained “I think that is a very good analogy. There are certain items on the menu for example which are a high sell, but will bring little return. It is all about percentages and balancing the menu correctly so that at the end of the trading day, we have a good profit.”
When asked by Mr. Raymond how the season plays a part in choosing a restaurant menu due to certain products being in high demand at certain times of the year, Mr. Roux stated that “Seasonal produce is at its best in terms of what it is like to eat, but also at its cheapest” in likening this business aspect to choosing stock or currencies to trade.
Mr. Raymond revealed to Mr. Roux that it has other celebrities on its books, including fellow chef Heston Blumenthal, thus he has competition in the midst. City Index has on this basis agreed to fund a live trading account for Mr. Roux, in order that he will be able to trade the markets and all profit made will be donated to VICTA, a charity supported by Mr. Roux.
VICTA stands for Visually Impaired Children Taking Action, and is a British childrens’ charity.
When asked if he is feeling confident, Mr. Roux jovially concluded by enthusing with a friendly smile “Yes! I mean, who is Heston?”
To view the entire interview with Michel Roux Jr, click here.