In his new book <i>somethingtofoodabout</i>, foodie musician and The Roots co-founder Questlove talks cooking and creativity with 10 of his favourite chefs.

Mr Ahmir Khalib Thompson, aka The Roots co-founder Questlove, loves food. Don’t believe us? Check out his Instagram account @questlovesfood. Or better still, pick up his new book somethingtofoodabout, published by Clarkson Potter this week. This is not a food book in the traditional sense. There are no recipes, methods or cooking times, for example. Instead, readers are privy to 10 colourful conversations, or verbal jam sessions, between the author and his favourite chefs. The result is a fascinating, free-flowing account of creativity and innovation informed by the major culinary spots in the US, from New York to Austin and Philadelphia, via New Orleans and LA. somethingtofoodabout taught us some rather interesting facts about food and Questlove. Here are five you (probably) didn’t know either.

Not only is Questlove one of the most respected musicians in the business, he is also a big deal in the food world. Legendary US chef Mr Anthony Bourdain says in his foreword, “The term foodie is inadequate to describe Questlove’s relationship with the international subculture of chefs. He would be better described as a fully made member of the chef mafia.” He also calls him “the actual Most Interesting Man Alive”. We may as well give up now.

Questlove heads to Seattle to talk to Mr Nathan Mhyrvold. Formerly chief technology officer at Microsoft, Mr Myhrvold made his name with Modernist Cuisine, an exhaustive cooking encyclopaedia. He describes eating “maggot cheese” in Sardinia, a delicacy created by allowing flies to lay eggs in a feta-like cheese. “It’s better than it sounds,” apparently. We’ll take his word for it.

As a child, Mr Thompson would write record reviews for non-existent albums, a curious hobby that continued well into adulthood, even after The Roots gained fame and notoriety. “I would imagine what Rolling Stone would say about our album: how many stars, what people might object to, what would go over their heads,” he says. Not so cool after all, Mr Questlove. And we thought we were the only ones.

Restaurant reviews can be complimentary or ruinous. In the case of Eleven Madison Park, Mr Daniel Humm’s three-Michelin starred restaurant, a review by the New York Observer 10 years ago transformed its entire philosophy. “I wish this place had a little more Miles Davis,” it said, spurring Mr Humm to start breaking the rules like the jazz musician and operate by inspirational concepts such as “forward-moving”, “endless reinvention” and  “innovative”. It is now the fifth best restaurant in the world.

Although he loves food, Mr Thompson may not have the resolve to stick it out in the food industry. In conversation with Israeli chef Mr Michael Solomonov, Questlove reveals that he worked in a fast-food restaurant once, but lasted only four months. What inspired him to quit? Listening to Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back on the way to work. “I told my manager I was going on lunch break, and I left and I never went back.”

somethingtofoodabout: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs (Clarkson Potter) by Messrs Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove) and Ben Greenman is out this week