From Fine Dining to the School Canteen with School Chef Lewis

Before you worked here, what was your life as a chef like?

Very fast paced. My previous background is Michelin – I’ve worked in very high-end restaurants. It was just very, very busy. You miss out on a lot of social activities because you’re always in the kitchen, but that was a part I loved. The theatrics of being in the kitchen, the service, the prep, the banter – everything. 

Why did you decide to leave the Michelin restaurant life behind?

I decided to start a family. I have two beautiful daughters, and I needed the balance of doing what I love and looking after my children and my family. Working here at Phoenix was the best thing for me.

My mother saw an advert on the internet and initially I didn’t want to go for it. She said, “Lou, go for it – you never know.” So, I did. I managed to speak to some amazing people, told them my situation and my background, and they were really encouraging. I went to one interview…I loved the whole concept of Chefs in Schools.

Having kids, I really wanted to give back to the community, and I feel like this is the perfect job. I’m able to do what I love, teach kids, work with an amazing team, cook food from all different backgrounds and cultures. I’ve wanted to be a chef since I was about 10 years old, and I’m still doing it now.

What do your chef friends say when you tell them you work at a school now?

A lot of my chef friends are really intrigued because they’ve never heard of Chefs in Schools. So I tell them the background: chefs maintaining good kitchen quality standards, cooking fresh food, fresh ideas.

I introduced one of my friends to Chefs in Schools and he now works in a school in Soho. He’s been there three or four years and he loves it. He’s not going back. It gives him a great work-life balance, and he’s got a young family too. We get to swap menus – he tells me what’s on his, I tell him mine. The industry is adapting. Before it was just restaurant-based; now this is a great way to give back to the kids.

What do you love most about cooking for the children here?

It’s when they come back and ask for seconds – that’s when I know they like it. Seeing empty plates, the salad bars empty, kids coming up asking “miss, can I have some more?” That’s what we’re here for.

We have a school council here at Phoenix where the kids give input on things they would like, things they don’t, or “please miss, don’t put that on the menu again.” It’s a bit of a balance. But for me, it really is those empty plates.

How do you adapt the meals for the children here, given this is a SEN school?

I wouldn’t say that we adapt meals, we just try to do a general consensus of what the kids actually like. Our menu is quite broad. Certain days we’ll do beef, chicken, or lamb; we have a vegetarian day. We try to cover a lot of ground: lots of salads, dry and wet, sauces, crunchy meats, soft meats, stews, fried things, crispy things.

Some of our kids are very sensory…we try to do a little bit of everything so the kids get used to a range of flavours and textures, so they’re not just put on one path. We try to open their horizons. And if they don’t like something, that’s okay. We can try again with a different flavour, a different texture, and go back to the drawing board.

What is the best reaction you’ve ever gotten from a child?

It’s when the kids call out to you around the school: “Miss, I loved lunch today, please can we put that on the new menu?” Or, “What’s going to be on the summer menu? I really liked the fried chicken you made last time.”

When they come into the kitchen or the canteen, you get to interact with them, find out what they like. We know certain kids, on a certain day, that they like a particular thing, so we give them a little bit more. And it’s just that little acknowledgement from them – even passing in the corridor. That tells me they know who I am.

What would you want other school chefs to know about cooking for children with additional needs?

Don’t overthink it. Food is food. We all love to eat. It’s just how we eat it, the colours, the textures, the flavours. I could do a carrot or an onion three different ways, and the fact is they’re still eating it. Chicken: you can have it stewed, fried, tempura. There are so many ways. It’s just finding out what the kids like. The whole thing is to just try and get them eating.

What would you say has changed in you since you started this job?

You’d have to ask my team, really – but when I came in, I was very intense. They had to tell me: you’re not in that environment anymore, you’re in a school kitchen, you need to relax. My team has really mellowed me out. Some of the things I’ve brought to the kitchen are great, and some of the things they’ve taught me are great. I’ve learned to come into my own.

What would you say to a chef who thinks working in school food isn’t for them?

Give it a go. Go to a kitchen, see where you’d be working, see the environment. You could positively affect one child and you’ve done something for your community. You might have changed their life.

I’ve done practicals in a few schools, and there are some students who have gone on to become chefs. I’m not saying that’s because of me – but you can touch people in so many different ways with food. It gets people together.

Being in the kitchen – it’s like our zen, our bubble. The kids all want to come in here, even if it’s just to look, or smell, or say hi. They’re always welcome. The children here are very, very interactive. They’re welcome in our kitchen anytime.

Are you a chef looking for something different?

If Lewis’ story resonates with you and you’re curious about what a career in school food could look like, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us.