The 73-year-old started as a kitchen porter at Euston’s Lancastrian Grill in October 1975.
He soon worked his way up to chef and went on to cook on British Rail’s Intercity Motorail fleet in 1991, then cooking for Avanti West Coast train operator.
Yousuf fondly remembers the day celebrity chef Jamie Oliver came on board.
“He wrote a thank you letter to me on a serviette which was brought into the galley,” he recalled. “That was an honour getting thanks from a chef like him.”
Yousuf arrived at his landmark 50 years at the same station where his railway career began.
“The industry has changed a lot over the years,” he says. “But I don’t plan to stop cooking yet.”
It’s what he loves doing, slaving over a hot stove — even after five decades day in, day out.
