By Patrick Leano
out before starting work! It was daunting, exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. And I did it. I found a bedsit, I got myself a mobile and I figured out how to get to work. I had to trust that the rest would fall into place.
Arriving at work on that first day was a shock. It was so serious in comparison to the kitchens I was used to. The staff were so young. These were people who left school as kids and grew up in kitchens, and almost everyone at Mosimann’s Club spoke German. (I was sure my plane had landed in London?!?!?)
That was just the beginning. The products were so different from what we got at home. I hadn’t cleaned a chicken since culinary school! The food was so traditional; so precise. And it was way more competitive than any kitchen I’d ever worked in. It was also the first time I’d worked in a kitchen that could have featured in Kitchen Confidential.
Toto, we’re not in Calgary anymore! But I had made my decision and I woul
d live with it.
From day one I started to learn German so that I could fit in with the team. I never became fluent, but I was good enough for the kitchen. I was also busy learning the system and the food. When I wasn’t at work, I was figuring out my way around London and trying to make friends. It was one of the most exciting times in my life. And in that chaotic kitchen, I made some of my best friends.
The immediate lesson for me was home is where your heart is. I loved that crazy kitchen, and while I knew I wouldn’t be there forever I knew it would be with me forever. And I was right. Every Chef I have worked for since has asked “what was it like there?”, “what’s he like to work for?” and “how is it different from here?”.
I had been in my pre
vious role for five years. I’d stopped learning in the classical sense and was doing more experimentation. But as soon as I arrived in the UK my learning started up again. It felt in a lot of ways like I was back in culinary school; it just felt so right. And while my learning curve is no longer quite as steep (or maybe it still is, who can say?!?!?!), I still make decisions about where to work on who can teach me the most.
Being an expat is an exciting adventure and one I would recommend to any aspiring chef. Even one year abroad will change your life, so go for it. What have you got to lose?! The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
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