Love of food runs in the family

As a young boy, I loved cooking with my nan and sitting down with her to enjoy the traditional East End favourite of pie, mash and liquor.

This early appreciation for classic hearty food led me into a cooking career that has seen me train with Gary Rhodes and work in some of the UK’s top restaurants. I moved into contract catering with Sodexo five years ago.

Joining an exclusive club

I have always admired the philosophy of great chefs like Gary Rhodes, Anthony Bourdain, Pierre Koffman and the Roux Brothers. These were my inspirations as a young trainee chef starting out in my 20s. Reading their books and seeing them work their magic on TV made me realise what you could achieve as a chef if you put in the hours. It was real dedication; it seemed like a very exclusive club that I wanted to be part of.

I started cooking at an early age. My nan lived on the Britwell Estate in Slough and even though that was a very working-class urban area she had a veg garden and loved to cook. I always remember being in the kitchen with her, making rock cakes and helping with a Sunday roast.

My first taste of a professional kitchen

It didn’t take long for me to get my first taste of a professional kitchen, aged just 13. I used to go down to a B&B in Devon with my family and the chefs let me help them with things like veg prep while we were staying on holiday.

A few years later, I got my first paid position as a pot wash and when I was 17, I was offered a four-week work experience placement at Gary Rhodes’ W1 restaurant.

I got on well with the sous chef there and after the work experience ended I started as a commis. I was at W1 for five years and learnt so much from the team about the basics of classic cuisine, like making stocks from scratch, and how to elevate even simple dishes to the next level.

Using every part of the ingredient

Although working with other top chefs has always been an inspiration – I spent time as sous chef at the one-Michelin-starred Nut Tree Inn in Oxfordshire – I return to the influence of my nan and some of her lessons that I’ve continued to champion as a chef.

She didn’t have a lot of money and people of that era were very food waste conscious. We talk about sustainable cooking a lot in today’s kitchens but that has been with me throughout my career. My nan used to make a roast chicken last several days, making sandwiches and curries from the leftovers. So I’ve always been very passionate about using every part of an ingredient and really respecting your produce.

Contract catering

I thrived in commercial kitchens for more than 12 years, but when my son Harry came along it was time to have a discussion with my wife about life’s priorities. I wasn’t about to give up being a chef, but was there an avenue that would cut down some of the long hours?

I was reluctant to go into contract catering – actually afraid if I’m honest. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know whether it was possible to be a professional chef, work the hours that suited me and still have the opportunity to cook the kind of food that I love.

But I could. I still use all the same skills I did in a fine dining restaurant or a big hotel, and get to experiment with amazing ingredients and explore different cuisines.

As senior hospitality chef at Eton College and Dorney Lake I enjoy creating dishes where vegetables are the hero ingredients, especially those in season in Autumn and Winter. You can get such depth of flavour and a range of textures from parsnips, celeriac, artichokes and carrots for example.

Being part of a creative team of Sodexo chefs has allowed me to thrive. I’d never go back to commercial catering – my work-life balance is amazing now. It’s pushed me on professionally too. The fact that I can get involved in global competitions and be considered alongside the best Sodexo chefs worldwide is massive for me.

If Sodexo has made a positive impression on Adam, then the feeling is absolutely mutual. He brings creative flair, experience and a genuine love for ingredients to his team, leading a busy calendar of hospitality functions and events.

He has proved one to beat in internal competitions and was recently crowned the UK and Ireland regional winner of Sodexo’s first-ever Sustainable Chef Challenge. His winning plant-based recipe of Hawaii Spiced Cauliflower, Red Lentil Dahl, Pickled Carrot Salad, Crispy Onion and Smoked Paprika Fritter with a Coconut Foam saw him through to a final cook-off taking place in December, in Germany.

Find out more about a career with Sodexo!

This article was created by Adam Smith, senior hospitality chef, Sodexo UK