Women in Food series: Faye de Souza, Restaurant Associates

Faye has been working at Restaurant Associates, the fine-dining sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland, for just over a year and has already been recognised twice for her amazing culinary talent. She recently won the gold award in the junior category at the annual Compass Chef of the Year competition, after picking up the silver award last year.

Faye wanted to work in a kitchen from a young age and was inspired by a host of leading chefs growing up. At the age of 16, she attended Westminster Kingsway College and since completing her course, the 22-year-old has gone on to work at a number of restaurants alongside some Michelin star names in London.

Since she started working at Restaurant Associates, Faye has worked in a number of different areas in the kitchen and believes this has helped her develop great experience for the future. In addition to her recent competition success, Faye also won top prize with her team as they competed for the Corporate Award at the ACE Ready Steady Cook Competition in September. The competition sees some of the best teams in the foodservice industry battle it out for various prizes.

On Women in Food:

I think Women in Food is a great initiative to encourage more women to consider a career as a chef. If you’re willing to work hard and have a passion for food then there is no reason why you can’t make it as a chef, regardless of whether you’re male or female. I also think women who want to juggle family life should really think about contract catering, while working in a restaurant involves long hours, businesses like Compass offer great flexibility.

On Compass Group UK & Ireland:

I have really enjoyed my time at Compass so far, I work with some great chefs who have really guided me in honing my skills. It feels amazing to have already been recognised by winning two brilliant awards at Compass’ annual Chef of the Year event. I’m really looking forward to learning more and building my career within the company, and hopefully entering and wining a few more competitions!