CHARLES Merchie’s life revolves around perfection. The 53- year-old has devoted his entire career to fivestar luxury and quality, scrutinising the finest of details an everyday task.

He’s travelled the world too, enjoying spells in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Italy and Germany.

But while his passport might be showing signs of fatigue from frequent use, Frenchborn Mr Merchie is far from worn out. He loves the industry, its people, and being the man responsible for giving customers that first-class experience.

His migration into the food and hospitality industry was a natural one, his love of good homemade food as a youngster set him on the path to success.

That journey has now taken him to The Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa in Helmsley, where he is general manager, and he says he has no intention of slowing down.

He said: “When you get to a position when you can start to look back, you get to remember all of the good things, the things that you have achieved, and just how enjoyable it has all been.

“I have always been in this industry, right from college, and have gone from the kitchen doing some pastry work, through to the management side.

“This industry is great because you are always working with people; customers, staff, the supply chain, the community.

“It is always about the people and managing their expectations because everyone has them and that is what this job is focused on.

“My passion for cuisine has always been there. My mother was a great cook and we would always enjoy wonderful homemade casseroles and fantastic roasts. My father was an engineer and used to entertain guests a lot of the time. He had a lot of friends so we would be out once or twice every week in restaurants, and when you’re a young boy experiencing that, it is easy to get addicted.

“I worked in Germany in a very traditional Bavarian restaurant in Munich, Venice, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia.”

Mr Merchie also spent time at Wood Hall Hotel and Spa, in Wetherby, and was venue director at Aleo Casino, in Leeds, before moving to the Feversham.

His first job was as a commis waiter in one of Alsace’s top five-star hotels. He was paid 400 French francs, or £250 in today’s money. He is irritated by sloppiness and indecision, and considers his secret talent to be his negotiation skills.

So what does a man who has seen the world see in his North Yorkshire venture?

It all comes back to that quest for perfection and the willingness to create something special.

He said: “This is a very exciting project, and one that is creating luxury and building on an already excellent reputation. Our restaurant has three rosettes but we are building more and more because luxury evolves.

“It is not a destination but a journey, and every day there is something that occurs which lifts expectations higher and higher and we need to move with that.

“If you stand still for five minutes, someone else will overtake you. Being a general manager is a complex role and you need a lot of different skills and knowledge from the hospitality, the people, the food, the wine, service and even wi-fi.

“You have to go at it from all angles and this is more complex than running a larger property because there you have more teams covering different areas. But I’m more hands-on here and that gives you a real buzz.”