Marco Yu, the engaging and energetic owner of the Bayee Restaurants, comes from a family with a long tradition in catering.

His father was a chef who came to England from Hong Kong in 1956, and within a few years not only owned his own restaurant but also ran the Chinese restaurants at eight Butlin's Holiday Camps. Marco is typical of the new generation of Chinese brought up mainly in this country, whose cultural bonds are still strong, but who have become part on the community in which they live.

Marco, while helping in his father's restaurant after school, also set about acquiring professional qualifications. He took a course in catering at Westminster College, where he became a certified French Chef before completing a degree in Hotel Management in Leeds before returning to Putney to run the Bayee House.