Armand Sablon, Hotel Café Royal

The Staff Canteen
Armand Sablon

Armand Sablon discusses his role as Head Chef at Café Royal and his own inspirations with regards to pursuing a career as a Chef.

Name: Armand Sablon

Role: Head Chef Ten Room at Café Royal

Bio: Armand Sablon is the head Chef of the Ten Room situated in Hotel Café Royal offering British informal dining. Overseen by Executive Chef, Andrew Turner, the menu marries the traditional with contemporary flavours and styles. He is also the 2007 winner of the Roux Scholarship.

Follow him on Twitter: @asablon1

Chef Skills

Armand Sablon takes us through his personal experiences whilst being in the Culinary Industry. These key skills that young Chefs and industry professionals learn as part of their basic training.

What are you looking for in those applying to work with you, on CV and in person?

They must have regular experience in like for like restaurants or hotels or straight out of college – not transient travellers. The candidate must be enthusiastic and must have a want to learn, they must be humble and have a good attitude.

What are your ultimate top five tips for someone looking to start a career as a Chef?

Get a good education and don’t let cooking be the only choice available to you – hospitality has many offerings and avenues.

Go and try work experience at a reputed place to see if that’s what you really want to do – try a couple of places and the more diverse the better.

Don’t jump at the first opportunity - a career is for life so build your CV well.

Research what it takes to be a top Chef and see if that’s what you think you have to reach the stars. It’s a long hard slog with long unsociable hours – but if you love what you do the latter means nothing.

Be prepared to sacrifice normality and have the opportunity to do a job which brings satisfaction every day you do it.

If you could go back and tell yourself one piece of advice based on what you know now, what would it be?

1. Don’t believe everything your hear.

2. Do your homework before you take a job.

3. Remember the job is for life so make sure to spend quality time with your family.

4. Don’t undervalue yourself – it’s too easy to give yourself away – say it little and say it well.

Find a Chef Job

Whether you're an aspiring Chef soon to be leaving education, or you are an established Chef looking for a new culinary challenge, we have a variety of Chef roles to suit you;
- Head Chef Jobs
- Executive Chef Jobs
- Sous Chef Jobs
- Commis Chef Jobs
- Chef de Parties Jobs
- Pastry Chef Jobs

In these challenging times…

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 and restrict access – 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.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 2nd February 2017

Armand Sablon, Hotel Café Royal