Adam’s story: from kitchen porter to champion chef

I started my career in kitchens as many budding chefs do – washing pots. It was all down to a push from my mum to be honest, I was 15 and she was keen to get me out of the house and working! That first role as a kitchen porter was at The Belfry Hotel in Cheshire, England. So although I had no plans for a cooking career, it was a very happy accident to fall into the industry as I immediately got the bug for it.

It didn’t take long to get my first real taste of kitchen life – a team member left and I was asked to fill the gap, prepping veg. I caught the tail end of the classic French cookery era in big hotels, where you would have a 20+-strong team of chefs, so there were plenty of experienced chefs around me to get inspiration and guidance from. I’d met Marco Pierre White when I was 16 and he was a big role model too – reading all his books fuelled my passion and enthusiasm for hospitality.

I spent six months at The Belfry, learning everything I could. Roles in a number of hotels in Cheshire followed, building my skills and experience as I went along.

For the last 20 years I’ve stayed in one place, working at a large pharmaceutical organization in Cheshire. Sodexo took over the contract in 2011 and I transferred over, as hospitality chef, which meant looking after directors’ fine dining and events. It was great time, I loved it. Back then the budgets were huge and we could push the boat out with extravagant menus and plan some really elaborate events – chauffeurs, live entertainment; the full party experience.

After seven years, I won promotion to my current role as head chef. With the support of my team, we run five coffee shops, a restaurant, and special events like BBQs and evening functions. Cooking is what I love most, I’ve never been interested in moving to a role that take me away from the kitchen.

What’s next for me? Well, there’s always a new challenge. The shape of workplace catering is changing, especially with hybrid working becoming the norm. Sodexo needs to evolve and as chefs we are a big part of that journey. We need to be adaptable and I say that to anyone looking to follow this path.