Member of the Month June 2022: Aaron Sproson

Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is Aaron Sproson

As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Aaron will receive an item of TSC merch of his choosing and will be entered in our Member of the Year 2022 competition. The Staff Canteen Member of the Month feature is brought to you in association with Major. 

1) Current place of work, position

I currently work at Pecks Restaurant in Congleton, Cheshire as Sous Chef

2) What is your cooking style and what should people expect from your food?

I'd say my cooking style is a mixture of different styles. Blending classic with modern twists is probably the best way to put it. And people should expect strong punchy flavours, good ingredients and a twist of modernism. 

3) What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

My current favourite dish to cook has to be our yeast-coated chicken breast with cauliflower. Which is basically a lovely tender chicken breast which has been coated in nutritional yeast after baking and basting in butter, served alongside various textures of cauliflower using up every part of the vegetable down to the core and its leaves.

4) Name a food item/dish/ingredient that isn't considered "cheffy" but that you love to eat

This has to be the Staffordshire oatcake, great for any time of the day whether it's breakfast lunch or dinner or even a snack!

5) What do you like about The Staff Canteen app and website?

I love how welcoming and great for networking the staff canteen website is. Showing pictures of dishes from which, you can draw inspiration to create and add your own flourish, or you can use it to show off the stuff that makes you proud to do what you do. It's just brilliant!!

6) What are your plans for the future?

My long-term plans for the future are to eventually be able to run my own business in the form of a restaurant, whilst building a great team to work beside me, with a great skill set and a brilliant mentality. Well, that's the dream anyway.

7) The Office for National Statistics have shown that staffing shortages in hospitality are at a record high. Are you feeling this where you work? Have you had to make any changes because of it?

I think most places you look in hospitality are feeling this, from both front of house and the back of house perspectives. I won't be the first you'll hear tell you how hard it is to find staff at the minute. But the staff we do currently have, seem to be some of the hardest working and most passionate people I have worked with. Hopefully, this can rub off and inspire the next generation and show people how good an industry it is to work in.