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
