His thoughts were echoed by John Johnstone, Director of Club Operations at Augusta National Golf Club in America, who said: "You need to have patience and discipline and no one can give that to you, only yourself. You need to be committed and learn your craft, if you do it can change your life. I took a lot of bollockings in my career and every one was deserved."
As well as some well known faces, joining the line up was 22-year-old April Partridge who currently works at The Clove Club. She created a chicken mousse with seps and pistachio; braised chicken leg and thigh with confit wings and salt baked celeriac. Speaking as a young chef still in the early stages of her career, she said: "As a young chef what do you need more? Money or knowledge? Don't get caught up in what you see on TV, celebrity chefs still did the hard graft first - you have to learn how to cook!"
She added: "I'm very lucky to be in this industry and surrounded by people who are full of passion. I think it's important to work for chefs you hate and chefs you admire because when you have your own kitchen you won't treat people in a way you wouldn't like. Kitchen's are tough but you should take everything with a pinch of salt."
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
