My Culinary Journey So Far
Cooking at a Young Age
My dad got himself into many chef roles when I was still young, and he had the energy after work, to cook my family meals and I would often help him as much as my 10 year old self could, I would make pizza dough, mince for meatballs etc. He eventually got himself into a breakfast chef position at a top country hotel in the Scottish Highlands and I would help my dad at home recreate top set recipes from his job where he worked beside Joe Wood, previous right hand man of Gordon Ramsay.
Going Strong
When I was 13 or so, when my dad turned to different professions, I continued my passion for cooking and made homemade pizzas, steaks and sometimes looked what’s in the fridge and let my imagination go wild. I always loved watching shows like MasterChef and the junior version, Kitchen Nightmares and so on, I always aspired to be a head chef and eventually own my restaurant some day.
I had to Start Somewhere
I turned 16 last year, I wanted to get into a kitchen as fast as I can, so I got myself a job at my nearest McDonald’s, I worked hard and knew I would get myself out of there within less than a year to continue my journey, after a few months I was up to getting promoted higher up the ladder, and just as my training was starting, I quit after 7 months without a second thought, but I had no plan, running out of money, and no idea where I would end up next.
The Story of Now
Only 3 weeks later, a holiday resort reached out to me via Indeed, I was excited, because it was for a managerial role at their restaurant, so I went for the interview, and I could tell they were holding back their laughter, I was just 16, but, they offered me a role as a commis chef instead, I took the opportunity instantly knowing this is the path I need to take to get experience for my plans in the future. Now, I work under my head chef, Martin, he has 35 years of kitchen experience, starting as a KP at 16, to working in Michelin star restaurant’s all around the world and meeting Gordon Ramsay while he was filming his show Kitchen Nightmares in Inverness, before this job, he lived in Argentina for 3 years as a head chef with little to none knowledge of how to speak Spanish, so we can do anything if we put our mind to it.
The Plan for the Future
I have been working as a commis chef at that holiday resort for a bit now, and my plan is to move out of the small town I have been living in for the past 10 years into a bigger city within Scotland like Glasgow and get a kitchen job there within the next year, start a business, gain capital and years into the future own a restaurant.
