Robert’s story: competitive cooking keeps me sharp as a chef

Robert JansenHead Chef, Sodexo Netherlands

I’m 10 years into my Sodexo career now and it’s provided me with fantastic memories and experiences so far. I’ve catered at the Olympic Games, cooked for the Netherlands’ Queen Maxima, helped mobilize new sites and taken part in global competitions. That’s the thing about this company – there’s always something new around the corner. It keeps me refreshed and sharp as a chef.

I was absolutely set on being a chef from a very young age. My parents were restaurateurs who owned a hotel when I was born. That was ‘home’ for the first four years of my life and I loved being around the chefs in the kitchen. By the time I was five I was helping them to prepare appetizers.

Turning my passion into a profession

At the age of just 12 I enrolled at De Rooi Pannen, a highly regarded Dutch vocational school famous for its culinary and hospitality programs. It led me to my first professional roles in hotels and fine dining restaurants.

 

I was pursuing my dream, yet in small restaurants I felt it was often the same pattern, and the fun started to fade after a couple of years. When I was 24 I spotted a role with Sodexo, but at the time they thought I had too little experience. Luckily, I must have sparked their interest as they got back in touch a few years later to offer me a sous chef role. I thought ‘let’s give it a try’ and 10 years later, I’m still here, now head chef at the same contract, DAF in Eindhoven.

Working at Sodexo has given me the versatility I was looking for and that’s what I genuinely enjoy most. No two days are the same in this job. One day you might be frying frikandellen (traditional Dutch sausage) or running production, and the next day you’re cooking a luxury dinner. It’s challenging and exciting and I’m always on the lookout for the next new experience.

A career full of fantastic experiences and challenges

There are so many opportunities at Sodexo, and when you grab those chances you can really broaden your knowledge and expertise. In 2019 I took part in the Global Chef Tour in the United States and I thought it was the coolest thing I would ever experience. But then in 2024, I travelled to Paris to cook at the Olympic Games. If you can handle that as a chef, you can handle anything! You need to flip a switch into a different mindset to be able to do your job well among so many people. It was intense at times, but I thrive on a challenge.

I didn’t think that could be topped but this year’s Cook for Change competition proved me wrong. It was thrilling to come back from London as the overall winner. My dish of smoked kohlrabi with miso, white bean cream and kombucha beurre blanc was inspired by my love of pure ingredients. I’ve eaten at more than 40 Michelin-starred restaurants and over time I’ve developed a greater appreciation for the product itself. I love products in their simplicity and appreciating pure flavours and ingredients; that pure way of eating dishes that are recognizable and executed to perfection, without unnecessary extras. I put that into my cooking and it inspired my winning dish – the kohlrabi as the star.

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