From my earliest memories I have always thrived to be an independent and creative individual, it is something I take great pride in and is an asset that has shaped who I am as a person today. In my first blog post I will explain key factors and events from my past which have influenced me throughout my life.

I have two disabled brothers who require care from both my parents, this forced them to leave their jobs to help them and in turn I grew up in a low-income household. This fuelled my independence and I got a job as a kitchen porter, very quickly I developed a passion for food and have since become a fully qualified chef. This has by far been the most influential matter in my life. Over the years I have travelled to many cities across the UK for food festivals, sporting events and music festivals aplenty, I have cooked in a number of kitchens large and small, each time learning a different method of cooking and new flavours to enjoy. A former head chef of mine once said to me “People eat with their eyes, not with their mouths” which is a line engraved into my memory. Put into a better way – Be proud of everything that leaves this kitchen, take pride in your work, all the effort that you have put into the preparation will then be worth it. The satisfaction of receiving the cliché ‘compliments to the chef’ is unrivalled and still gives me a sense of value no matter how many times I hear it. I use that analogy not just when I’m sweating away in a 40 degree kitchen cooking for a full restaurant, but in life itself. Nothing comes for free in this world and in order to enjoy the simpler things, you’ve got to put the graft in.

References:

Head of Steam HQ (2020) Smoked burgers [photograph] Available online: https://www.instagram.com/headofsteamhq/ [Accessed 4/10/20]