Before Servest
From an early age, Rhys knew he wanted to be a chef, inspired by growing up on the coast of South Africa surrounded by an abundance of fresh food and by his dad who was a chef. Upon moving to the UK, Rhys enrolled on a cookery NVQ, in which he got the opportunity to complete a culinary placement at a law firm in the City of London. Rhys used this experience as a stepping stone to venture into the world of corporate catering and hospitality in central London, where he learned a lot about meeting and exceeding clients’ expectations.
To help further his career, Rhys embarked on a Culinary Arts degree in 2009 at Westminster Kingsway College on a part time basis, whilst continuing to work full time. Upon completion, Rhys used his experience and newly gained qualification to gain positions in some of London’s most prestigious and high end corporate environments.
Servest Journey
Rhys joined Servest in April 2014 to support the establishment of a catering team as part of a key contract win. His responsibilities included mobilising the on-site team, setting up back of house processes and developing the team via training and recruitment. Building a strong team allowed Rhys to develop and implement a new fresh food offering, which was very well received by the client.
Having proven his passion for food innovation, Rhys was given the opportunity to take on the role of development chef in 2015, where he would have the chance to support the chef director with developing Servest’s food offering across multiple sites. In this new role Rhys flourished, getting involved with developing teams via the Culinary Classroom programme and crafting his own operational support programme, Food Heroes.
It was no surprise when Rhys was awarded Blue Arrow Chef of the Year 2015, where he was commended for his innovative use of flavours. Rhys explains that the support and trust he has from the management team has enabled him to innovate and develop a food offering of which he is proud.
Looking to the future
It is an exciting time for Servest’s catering division and Rhys is looking forward to being more involved with the newly launched Angel Hill Food Co. and Groundhouse brands. He has huge aspirations for his career at Servest and relishes the idea of one day becoming a chef director.
Rhys said: “Having the freedom to be innovative and to have the opportunity to develop my ideas has meant I have already achieved a lot with Servest. I am excited for what the future holds, especially with newly established Angel Hill brand.”
