Aaron Blais has carved a steady - and remarkable path at The Ritz London, where he currently serves as a Junior sous chef.
Aaron made the bold decision to move to London from Canada in search of something new. Influenced by former colleagues who spoke fondly of their time working in the capital, he made the leap - and The Ritz was one of the first places he applied to.
In a moment of quiet confidence, whilst walking down Piccadilly, he looked across at the hotel and said to himself, 'Yeah, i'm going to work there'.
Since then, Aaron has remained loyal to The Ritz, a kitchen he describes as challenging, rewarding, and full of learning.
where it all began
Originally inspired by time spent cooking with his family - who all made meals from scratch and grew their own ingredients - Aaron’s journey into the kitchen felt natural from an early age.
He said: "When I was a kid, I'd help my grandparents cook - my grandmother, my nanny, and my mum were always in the kitchen making everything from scratch. Instead of being outside with my dad or grandfather, I’d be in the kitchen with them. They all had gardens too, so we always had fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lots of herbs. From a young age, using that kind of produce just made being a chef feel natural, I guess."
moving to London and joining the Ritz
Aaron added: "I was at my old place for seven years, and one day I just thought, you know what - I think I want to do something different. There were probably about a dozen people I worked with who had come from London, and when I asked each of them if they’d go back, every single one said yes. So I figured, why not try it out? I applied to the Ritz, and funny enough, I was walking down Piccadilly, looked across at the building and thought - yeah, I’m going to work there. I’ve been here ever since. It’s been amazing."
Aaron can now add BCF Chefs hef of the Year award to his prestigious collection of culinary experience.
His prize included a £2,000 cash award, a commemorative plate, a framed certificate, and an exclusive chef’s trip to Ireland, sponsored by Aubrey Allen and Bord Bia.
Read more: The Ritz' Aaron Blais named BCF Chef's Chef of the Year
Aaron’s winning menu comprised of Orkney scallop, tomato consommé and basil to start, followed by grass-fed Irish sirloin of beef and sweetbread pithivier, turnip and morel. Dessert was British strawberry, caramelised honey panna cotta, almond and elderflower.
Competition organiser and BCF president, Peter Griffiths said: “The standards attained in this competition continue to impress and, once again, the competition has attracted interest from across all sectors of the industry and continues to grow.
"We have witnessed some fabulous dishes and innovative cooking with good use of Irish Beef resulting in another tense and exciting competition for the title of British Culinary Federation Chef of the Year 2025.”
Upon receiving the award at BCF, Aaron said: "I just won the chef of the year award from BCF feeling very excited. Just wanna say a big shout out. Thank you to the Ritz, thank you to Chef John Williams, Deepak Mallya, Ian Musgrove. Lots of effort has gone into this and it's paid off so thank you.
Written by Abi Kinsella
