Staale Ellevsen was brought up on a diet rich in seafood, caught in the clear waters off the coast of his homeland.

He was raised in Trondheim, the beautiful city on Norway's rugged coastline, where fresh fish is rarely off the menu.

"I was spoiled in that way," he says. "My mum grew up on an island off the coast of Norway and is an expert in cooking seafood. I learned a lot from her." He added to his skills through an apprenticeship, before leaving Norway to work on a cruise ship. The affable chef was used to seeing the elegant liners sail into the harbour at Trondheim, but opted for warmer climes when he joined the crew on one of the popular holiday vessels.

"I worked on ships sailing out of Miami, around the Caribbean and Mediterranean," he says. "I enjoyed it - it was so varied, both in terms of the different ports, meeting so many people from all over the world, and the food we worked with. We used a wide variety of produce, all bought locally.

"Wherever we docked we would buy fresh food at the harbour."

After six months at sea, Staale, 34, spent a year staying with his godparents in Miami, working in a restaurant in the city. He returned briefly to Norway before heading to England where he found work as head chef at a restaurant in Birmingham before moving north to head up the catering team at the Teppan-Yaki Japanese restaurant in Leeds.

In November last year he left the Granary Wharf eaterie to take the reins at Tiberio, in Galloway Lane, Pudsey. The menu - which Staale describes as "Italian-Mediterranean with a local twist" - includes a wide selection of pasta, vegetarian and meat dishes.

Working in a four-strong team of chefs, Staale has settled in well, and has bought a home in nearby Wortley with his wife Nalan, a secretary for an import company. The couple met on a cruise ship where Nalan, from Istanbul, worked as a casino croupier.

With Staale's busy schedule, the couple do not find they have much time to relax, but when they do the pair dine out. "We like eating out, it gives us a chance to sit down and talk," he says. At home, Nalan cooks.

"We mostly eat Mediterranean food. Nalan sometimes cooks traditional Turkish dishes - she likes to wow me." And, of course, their menu has to occasionally include Norwegian fare. "I particularly like Gravad Lax - dill- marinated salmon - it is delicious."

Staale misses his homeland. "I really miss the coast, but I don't I would go back there to live.

"I'm happy here and I like my job. I want to be recognised for what I do well, and I like having people appreciate the work we all put in."

Staale's recipes

Fillet steak, roast Mediterranean vegetables, tomato and bernaise sauce Ingredients 2 x 10oz fillet steaks 2 courgettes 1 aubergine 1 red onion 2 cloves garlic (minced) 1 red bell pepper (skinned) 1 green bell pepper (skinned) 1 tbsp basil 1 tbsp fennel seeds 100ml extra virgin olive oil Method Cut courgettes, aubergine, red onions and bell peppers into large chunks. Mix oil, garlic and herbs together. Spread the vegetables on a roasting tray, sprinkle with the oil and herbs, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook in moderately hot oven at 175C/325F/Gas mark 3, for 20 minutes, turning them over every five minutes.

Aubergine stuffed with mozzarella and tomato Ingredients 2 aubergines 200g mozzarella cheese 3 large tomatoes 4 portions spaghetti Egg wash, flour, breadcrumbs Tomato sauce 6 plum tomatoes, skinned 2 shallots, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon oregano 1 tsp basil pint tomato juice Salt and pepper to taste Method Slice aubergine into rings, leaving a quarter inch from slicing right through, leaving you with a pocket into which you stuff the tomato and mozzarella. You should get around 12 of these. Flour them, then coat with egg wash and breadcrumbs. Cook in oil on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Serve on a bed of spaghetti with tomato sauce. Sweat down shallots, garlic and herbs. Add the plum tomatoes and tomato juice. Simmer gently for 15 mins, then blitz it down. Season with salt and pepper.