Born with a chronic medical condition, I learned early that life doesn’t always deal you an easy hand. Society loves its moulds — limits, labels, expectations — but I’ve never been one to fit neatly inside the lines. Instead I chose to break them, building a life defined by passion, not circumstance.

At sixteen, I swapped textbooks for the chaos of the kitchen. It was loud, grimy, often downright unglamorous — but somewhere between the clang of pans and the smell of roasting garlic, I found my rhythm.

I discovered that good food and genuine service could change someone’s day. From the humble warmth of pizza cafés to the fiery heart of Spanish restaurants, every kitchen taught me something new about flavour, people, and joy.

Then in 2023, a friend threw me a wild idea: “Why not take over a bar’s kitchen for a night?”