And So It Begins…

I was racking my brain as to what to write about in my first blog post. So then i decided to write about my first experience in a professional kitchen. Which was just under 25 years ago in a 4* hotel in London. My Sous Chef was this great old Italian who was basically a human Le Repertoire. By which i mean he knew everything about cooking. Still to this day he is one of the most knowledgeable chefs i’ve ever worked with. The only downside, if you could really call it that, was he had (to me) a very strong accent which i found difficult to understand. My first task was to make a ” tramezzino’ or Sandwich. Which my face said it all and had to admit i had no idea what that was. My Sous Chef gave me a look that i still remember to this day… a look of disbelief and shock. He actually said ” how could you not know how to make one”. So he patiently then proceeded to show me how to make a Ham Sandwich. I was so nervous back then that I dare not say anything. Oh how times have changed!!! So i watched and noted down (as we did back then) his instructions on how to make a Ham Sandwich. Now i’m not going to write down the recipe of making that ham sandwich but i’m going to say it’s a lesson that has stayed with me all these years and began my love affair with food and hospitality.

Now i can just imagine some people saying WTF…what life lessons and what can you learn from being taught how to make a sandwich!!!

Firstly how to communicate properly and to speak up. The way in which my Sous Chef took the time to explain and show me every detail of making that sandwich. The respect he showed to the task (even one as simple as making a sandwich) , the ingredients and most importantly his responsibility of showing the next generation was so inspiring. And to Giovanni i will always be grateful for giving me that foundation. I still to this day believe in keeping things simple, quality of ingredients and having a passion for what i do. In recent years this has included photography so this is what i hope to achieve with this blog blend my love of photography and my passion for food.

Until next time…

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