Amjad, known as AJ was a student in Holman from 2009 to 2013. He is now Sous Chef at the highly acclaimed Fallow, a sustainable restaurant that offers creative cooking and innovative dishes in the heart of St James’s, London. Below, he shares his story and the journey he went on to become a chef. When at Epsom, he had his sights set on becoming a scientist but once he left university he ended up embarking upon a totally different career journey based on his true passion: food.
What did you study for A-level at Epsom and university?
I studied Biology, Chemistry and Economics for A-level. I had a place at the University of Nottingham for Neuroscience, but changed to Business before I started, as I wanted a less specialised degree that could offer me a wider range of jobs after graduation.
How did your career start before you became a chef?
I worked at a medical clinic where we dealt with recurrent miscarriages and female fertility issues. Our main goal was to help couples give birth and start a family.
Why did you switch careers?
I’ve always loved food and cooking from before I can remember. My first ever book was a cookery book and all I would ever do growing up was watch cooking shows on TV. It was always my dream to open a restaurant, however I would always lie to myself and pretend I would open one when I had more money.
I realised that to open a restaurant, I needed to actually work in a restaurant and learn from the bottom up. So that’s exactly what I did.
What advice would you give to our current pupils?
There is a lot more out there than it may seem. Traditionally, going to a school like Epsom, you think your options afterwards are finance, banking, medicine, law etc. No one tells you about other industries like hospitality.
These industries are often filled with people who may have not gone to university and are seen as jobs for people who have no other options, but this is absolutely false. These industries are great and there is a lot of room for progression if you work hard and put your mind to it. If you’re going to work a large number of hours a week, you may as well do it in something that you love.
What is your favourite thing about working at Fallow as a chef?
There are many things I love about being a chef at Fallow, I think the main one is serving people food that you’ve created and watching them enjoy it. That’s hugely rewarding.
I am now at sous chef level, which to be honest is crazy. I’ve only been a chef for three and a half years, and to go from an entry level chef (commis chef) up five positions to sous chef (one step below head chef) feels like a dream. The reason for the quick progression is hard work, knowledge and most importantly attitude.
I love going into a busy service with my fellow chefs and getting the job done. It’s loud, it’s stressful and it’s tiring, but when you’re in it and in the flow and everything is going out looking beautiful, nothing feels better!
Pick one skill that you learned at Epsom that has proven invaluable in the kitchen?
Two main skills that Epsom gave me would be independence and emotional intelligence. These two things have shaped me as a chef and would be the main reasons for my current success in the industry.
Being a chef is about more than cooking; when you move up the ranks, people management becomes extremely important – knowing how to speak to different individuals in different ways to get the most out of them is key.
