The journey before embarking on the Tudor Rose in 2017 has all been leading up to this point.
I grew up in a family with deep roots in the hospitality industry, spanning four generations. So you could say the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
My relatives have had restaurants, cafes or bars either in Plymouth or in Malta. Malta is close to my heart as, it’s where my mother’s side of the family is from.
It was during my early years that I first developed my love and passion for food, cookery and genuine hospitality. Any natural talent I have comes from my Maltese grandmother who was the most fantastic cook with the most incredible palate. As a youngster I worked mornings before school, on weekends and school holidays with my family in my mother’s business, The Hot Potato. Knowing I shared my family’s calling I quickly learned the value of hard work and became determined to become a professional chef.
I trained at City College Plymouth before taking on an adventurous European work placement in Lapland/Sweden, where I earned multiple accolades, including European Student of the Year.
Over the years I have worked hard to build a CV that represents a varied and interesting story of my working life; in particular, being fortunate enough to gain valuable experience working in prestigious kitchens both locally, in London, and abroad.
I secured the role of Head Chef at the iconic Theatre Royal Plymouth in my early 20s and subsequently was awarded Plymouth Woman of Achievement in the Young Person Category.
I continued increasing my experience by working in numerous hotels and restaurants including, locally, The Tanners Restaurants and Boringdon Park Golf Club and the renowned Wolseley Restaurant in Piccadilly, London. I enjoyed a training placement at the Michelin-starred Orrery Restaurant in Marylebone, London and then in Perth, Australia during a yearlong round the world trip. I had the privilege of performing numerous live cookery demonstrations at the Plymouth Flavour Fest, the West Country’s largest food and drink festival. All of this provided me with fantastic hands-on experience!
I believe that education plays an important role in the hospitality industry; therefore, in addition to being kitchen-based, I have spent time as a hospitality ambassador, visiting schools across Devon and Cornwall running workshops to inspire school leavers to pursue further education and a career in hospitality and catering.
Becoming a restaurant owner has been one of my biggest ambitions, and all of these exciting and diverse experiences have been essential, along with the support of wonderful people that have been with me on the journey to help me turn an ambitious dream into a reality.
“Well, that’s a little glimpse into my story, thank you for reading it and I hope to welcome you at The Tudor Rose Tearooms and Garden sometime time soon…”
Mon & Tue – Closed
Wed to Fri – 11am – 4pm
Sat & Sun – 10am – 4pm
We are open on Bank Holiday Mondays
