My Journey so far….
I started with BM just over a year ago. It was my first Chef de Partie job and I was a bit nervous about the jump up in position. Straight away the team around me made me feel welcome, this helped my confidence grow and I soon realised I could do the job. This doesn’t mean I didn’t make mistakes along the way.
As I settled into my new job I started going to the monthly BM chef’s courses and learnt so much, from how to tie and bone meat, to how to cook within the seasons.
Whenever the development chefs came to site, I would be there asking how they had made something, and they would always take the time to show us a new recipe or tricks. Once I even helped with the prep for the pasta course and did everything from breaking down the rabbit for the Ragu dish to making the fresh pasta dough.
My Favourite Course
But my favourite courses have to be the ones held at Trinity by Adam Byatt, it’s not every day you get to learn from a Michelin star chef! He creates an environment where you feel comfortable to ask questions, not that I have any questions because of how much detail he covers during these courses. He takes the time before and after each session to sit around the table with everyone chatting over a tea or coffee so this really helps me to feel at ease, even though I am still in awe of him!
Also, I have worked on quite a few high profile events BM have held, a few times even working with Adam and these have been another excellent opportunity to learn. Attending these also means I get to know a lot of the other chefs in the company and enjoy sharing new ideas and recipes with each other.
Chef of the Year Competition
The real turning point for me was the BM chef of the year competition. I genuinely thought that I would do better than I did, and it was a real awakening in my mind set. I was lucky because one of the development chefs and my executive chef spent some time helping me. But this was the first time it was my menu and my recipes under the spotlight, and it wasn’t easy. Needless to say I didn’t win, in fact I didn’t even make it out of my heat. But I am determined to enter next year and do better, making sure I learn from this year’s experience. I did ask if I could cook in the final but understood that I would not be able to win. I just wanted the honour to have my food judged by two Michelin stared chefs, sorry about those under cooked potatoes.
Work experience at Kitchen W8
Despite that, one of the judges Mark Kempson of Kitchen W8 in Kensington must have seen something and said that I could go and spend a week in his kitchen. Probably not realizing that I would take him up on this offer and I can’t thank him enough for this. It was truly an amazing experience and will be something that will help me in my development as a chef for the rest of my career. I now know the teamwork, organisation and attention to detail that goes into running a restaurant of this standard. The things I learnt in just one week, from how to finish a sauce to testing to see how the meat was cooked, was mind blowing. I was allowed to do much more than I thought I would be, under supervision of course, but it was a fantastic week and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.
The future is exciting
I am looking forward to carrying on my career with BM and seeing what the next few years has in store for me. Watch this space!
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