Chef Nigel Ashdown
“Being with Sodexo for 23 years has been the greatest opportunity to enhance my skills. I have met so many chefs and learnt a lot of things from them.”
At the age of 16, Nigel enlisted in the Royal Air Force where he started his culinary career. From feeding the masses at the Air Force Cookery School to working the U.K. restaurant circuit, Nigel had 16 years of chef experience by the time he hopped the pond to Australia.
Once here, Nigel owned and operated a restaurant for two years before choosing to cater in the mines.
Nomadic at heart, Nigel likes to keep his experiences fresh – which comes as a surprise seeing as Nigel has worked for Sodexo for 23 years.
Nigel credits his longevity with Sodexo to the diversity of work, and the opportunity to move from site to site.
“For all employees, it would be a good idea to encourage them to move sites after maybe two years. It stops the possibility of things getting stale or boring and opens up new challenges and opportunities,” Nigel said.
“Being with Sodexo for 23 years has been the greatest opportunity to enhance my skills. I have met so many chefs and learnt a lot of things from them.”
As a Night Chef Supervisor with currently more than 45 years of culinary experience, Nigel believes that you never stop learning from those around you – especially with the diversity of backgrounds at Sodexo.
“No one is too old or too experienced to learn new things from other people of any age,” he said.
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