Jon Fell, Sella Park Country House Hotel

Jon Fell discusses his role as Executive Chef at Sella Park Country House Hotel and his own inspirations with regards to pursuing a career as a Chef.

Name: Jon Fell

Role: Executive Chef

Place of work: Sella Park Country House Hotel, Cumbria

Bio: Jon Fell is the Executive Head Chef of Sella Park Country House Hotel, Cumbria which is part of the Muncaster Castle Estate where he has held his position for four years.

Follow him on Twitter: @jonfellChef

Website: https://Chefsroll.com/JonFell

Chef Skills

Jon Fell 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.

Top tips:

My advice to anyone starting out as a Chef would be:

1. Soak up all the knowledge you can, however trivial you first think it maybe

2. To be the best, work with the best, listen and learn

3. Give 100% and you'll get that back tenfold

4. Forget what you've seen on TV! It is never going to be like that! EVER!

5. Read cook books, own a copy of La Rousse, Le Repitoire, they are the "bibles" of our industry

Don't expect to be a Head Chef by the time you are 21, it is never going to be. Turn up to work on time, listen and take in what I say, show me that you WANT to be a Chef, work hard and in return you'll get 200% back from me. I’ll teach you all I can, give you all the time I can to make you into the Chef you want to be.

I’ll get the stages you need in the establishments required to push yourself, so finally, when you think you are able, you will, go and get that Sous Chef job, you deserve, and no one will be happier than me to see you do it.

I started out at 14, as a spotty faced pot wash, not even wanting to be a Chef! I moved onto starters and then onto desserts. At 16 I decided "I WANT TO BE A CHEF" little realising the amount of blood, sweat and tears I would endure for the next few years, but it was worth it.

I was 25, quite old really before I became a Junior Sous but I wanted to learn as much as I could, and I was 30 before I was a Head Chef.

I never stop reading cookery books, never, I learn something new every day also use social media to interact with other Chefs and you’ll gain lifelong friends and gain an instant online encyclopaedia.

Experience:

If you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best, be that, Simon Rogan, Michael Caines, Nathan Outlaw or Gordon Ramsey, etc etc. Experience is a fantastic foundation for any young Chef it gives you the grounding, the drive and passion that you need to survive in this industry.

However, I'm just as happy to take someone with no experience at all, as long as they show a willingness to learn, show up on time, don't give me any hassle, listen to what I say and understand the reasons and methods as to why we do things in a certain way. They could go onto be equally as good a Chef as anyone else, CV's are just a platform to "show your wares" it's what's inside the head and heart that counts; show me passion, not a piece of paper and we'll go far.

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 – 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 16 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 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, 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.