Angel Lorenzo was destined to follow a career in catering.

His family run a number of restaurants and bars in his native Spain, including one that was once awarded the accolade of the biggest wooden restaurant in the world.

‘Halifax’ restaurant in Alcorcon near Madrid was registered in the Guinness World Records book in 1995 due to its architectural originality and seating capacity.

“It is a Canadian-style restaurant that was built in Canada and shipped to Madrid,” he says. “We got our lobsters from Halifax in Canada – that’s where the name came from.”

Growing up in Madrid, he worked in the family eateries before deciding to train as a chef. “I went to catering college in the centre of Madrid,” says Angel, who heads the team in the kitchen at Intermission, Bradford’s National Media Museum cafe. “I already had experience and that really helped.”

He has used culinary knowledge gained the world over to bring a variety of tastes to Intermission, run by specialist catering company Digby Trout. “We want to bring a slice of every culture to the café,” he says. “We might feature English fish pie, Mediterranean pasta with basil and tomato crostini, Chinese chicken with hoisin sauce or chicken with Thai green sauce.”

He adds: “We get visitors from all over the world, so we want to offer something for everyone.”

Visitors to the cafe can also sample a range of home-made cakes including chocolate brownies, Victoria sponge and carrot cake. “We have a fantastic baker,” says Angel. The three-strong team also cater for corporate events. “We work really well together – it is a great atmosphere.”

Angel moved to England ten years ago, at first heading for London. “I wanted to see the world and learn the language.” Over the next three years he honed his skills in Spanish, Cuban and Mexican restaurants. “I loved working in London. It was one of the happiest times I’ve had, but at work we didn’t speak English that much so unfortunately my language skills didn’t get much better.”

His first head chef posting came at a Spanish restaurant in Sussex. “It was a challenge and I didn’t know whether I was ready to take it on or not, but I had a couple of friends working with me and that made a difference.” Angel, of Wibsey, met his Bradford-born partner Anne in Bulgaria while training chefs for a tour operator. “I travelled all over with that job – to Egypt, Morocco, Italy, Corfu, Portugal and Majorca.”

Anne worked in customer relations, and the pair enjoyed their time at a Bulgarian Black Sea resort but decided to return to England to settle down. “I like Yorkshire, but I miss the sea, sand and sunshine,” says Angel.

He mans the stove at home. “Anne doesn’t cook – she fell in love with my meals, not me,” he laughs. He works an allotment, and is busy planning what to plant and where, so he can harvest his own produce.