Rising stars

Klaudia Sledak
Chef de partie, BM Caterers

What is your current role and what does it entail?
I am currently working as a chef de partie in a large prestigious law firm in central London. My day-to-day responsibilities include running the larder section and producing all the grab-and-go on site. This entails everything that comes with running a section, such as orders, due diligence and management of commis.

Why did you want to work in foodservice?
I started out working in at a site in Kensington as a barista and one day, when the main person who worked on the deli bar went sick, I was asked to step up and help cover it – and I loved it! From there, I really wanted to get into the kitchen, so I started to work as a commis and haven’t looked back since. Being a chef never really came into my head before I had a taste of working in the kitchen, but now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

What education, training and competitions have you undertaken to get this far?
I pretty much attend every masterclass that the BM development chefs run, as well as the monthly ones with Adam Byatt. A lot of my training has been hands-on, either through working with the chefs around me or the development team in BM. I have also had a couple of great opportunities to work with Adam Byatt, doing a pop-up at a vineyard in Kent and other high-profile events and fine dining events in the company.

I was a finalist in our chef competition last year which was judged by three Michelin-starred chefs. It was pretty nerve-racking, but they offered me a stage so I couldn’t have done that badly! I am entering again this year and am looking forward to it.

How could caterers attract more rising stars into the sector?
I think that success stories should be shouted about more. If people knew that there was a real chance of progression and development like I have enjoyed, then I think that would really be attractive to them as a career choice.

What do you enjoy about the industry?
I love working in kitchens; I thrive on the pressure and really enjoy the pace of it all. I am learning constantly and feel that I get better at my job every day. I don’t know of too many other jobs where you can say that.
It’s also the teams; I love the kitchen culture and how we all work together and get on.

How do you think industry could improve?
I think the industry should focus more on eliminating any type of discrimination and show increased support for anyone suffering from a mental illness. And being a chef is the perfect environment for helping with this. If you work hard and as a team, then you can be successful and overcome any challenges.

What trends do you predict for the future?
Veganism will continue to rise, I would think, as well as other plant-focused menu options. Korean and other Asian cuisines will keep getting bigger, and there will also be a return to some of the old classics. They will be brought up to date with regard to presentation, but classics are classics for a reason.

What is your biggest ambition?
I would like to get to wherever it is that hard work gets you. In BM, the senior chef team lead by Pete Redman and David Steel have always told me ‘you get out what you put in’, and that’s proven to be the case so far in my career. I would like to think that if I keep going, I can become an exec chef of my own kitchen one day.

You may also be interested in…