I’ve always had an interest in the prison system, how it works in different countries and why people commit crime. I went to the University of Auckland and majored in Criminology with a minor in Ancient History. They were just the two things I was really passionate about. Two years in I took 6 months off because a criminology course is really emotionally intense. I moved to the UK and did a month-long cooking course at Leith School of Food and Wine. I loved it so much that I went home, finished my degree, then came back and did the full 9-month diploma.
I really liked the whole teaching side of cooking. I’ve always been into helping other people and sharing ideas. I worked in catering kitchens, as a private chef and in smaller kitchens while also freelance teaching so that I was always upskilling. I worked at School of Wok in London where I learned my hands-on teaching skills.
This role came up and I realised I could put all my passions into one thing. I was quite bold and sent our CEO a DM on Instagram saying “This is my dream, I will get this job”. Maybe not the best way to go about it but it worked!
