Rosalind Parsk, Executive Chef, Courtyard by Marriott & Marriott Executive Apartments
Ifell into a career with food. I used to cook a lot when younger with my grandmother, baking, making dinners for the family, and I really enjoyed it. So when it came to choosing a career, I did some work experience and loved it. So I went off to college to learn all about it. I’m from Surrey in England… and part of a big family – seven siblings, 6 girls and one boy. I’ve been in Dubai for 10 years now. I’ve had role models change over the years, from Delia Smith whose cookbooks grandma used to cook out of, and Mary Berry, who has become big again in the last five years in the UK. Then there’s Gordon Ramsay, and so many contemporary chefs I admire and look up to.
If you don’t love being a chef… you can’t do it. Hospitality hours are notoriously long and not sociable. You need to work on all the big occasions, Christmas, Ramadan New Year, Valentine’s... you work weekends. It takes acclimatising to standing on your feet – you won’t believe how much we stand in the kitchen, peeling asparagus for thousands of people can take hours. It’s high-pressured, the food needs to be quick, hot and perfect. So if you don’t have passion, it’s difficult to face those challenges. I’ve built my career in a maledominated industry. I worked for Gordon Ramsay under Angela Hartnett for three years, which was a great, rare experience under a female chef. I worked for Marco Pierre White before that; I was part of a TV programme and went to work for one of his restaurants. That was my first time in a proper fine dining restaurant.
It’s easier for a man in the industry.
So you just have to work harder, smarter faster. Once you’ve proved yourself – and I do think there’s an element of proving yourself – it’ll be fine. I haven’t had any awful experiences. I get along great with the men I work with, and once they know your expectations it’s like working with anyone else. But yes, on Day 1 you have to prove that you are not going to run home crying after an hour.
Once you’ve gone up the ranks, and they know I’ve been in the industry for so many years, my CV does the talking. I’ve got a lot more to bring to the table, so people now respect me more. There’s now a lot more women in my industry – previously you could go decades without a female chef, now they are filtering through.
I am inspired by Women’s Day… because of the amazing stories you get to hear. One day of a year, to celebrate shining stars in our community or the world is pretty amazing. When I stand back and think I’m the first female executive chef in the UAE…
I’m so proud of it. I’ve driven my career over the years, I’m 33 years old, and feel I’ve done a lot in a short space of time. I’m a very self-driven person. I don’t like to do things half-heartedly, be it small or big goals. I put everything into it, and I find things to do if I get complacent with life, I like pushing myself and keeping things fresh and moving, keep my mind moving. I got married last year in Sardinia in Italy… over an amazing few days. I’m lucky that my husband is also from the industry, and he also works long hours. I don’t have kids yet and when that time comes there will have to be changes in our life and lifestyle. You live a semi-selfish life when you don’t have kids, taking care of only yourselves, and that will change. No, you don’t have to be single and
childless to be a chef… The answer to ‘Can you have it all?’ is ‘Yes, you can’. It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be a lot of balancing and trial and error. There’re sacrifices on a few levels and you might need help at home and at work. But it’s doable. No, being a chef is not as glamorous
as you see on TV. I’m usually sweating in kitchen heat, it’s a loud, large area so you’re shouting to be heard – again not very glam. But for anyone who is a chef or in a kitchen
It’s easier for a man in the industry. So you just have to work harder, smarter faster. Once you’ve proved yourself it’ll be fine
space, the adrenaline of a good service is the reward. When you see people happy eating what you’ve plated up, it gives you a buzz.
My biggest strength is that I am very passionate. On the flip side, a weakness of mine is I probably could be a better listener – life is so fast paced, sometimes I feel I must sit back and listen and appreciate things a bit more. A lesson I’ve learnt over the years...
is not to take anything for granted, because it can be taken away very quickly. I do try and enjoy life as much as I can as you never know what can happen next week. Work-life balance can be a struggle. It’s about prioritising and you have to be strong with yourself. You have to still bother to see friends or you’ll just lose them, and you have to spend enough time with your husband and family, or that’s where the cracks start to form. You can’t bring stress home – that remains in the kitchen.
Looking back… I wouldn’t change anything in my life. I believe things happen for a reason and the bad and good build you as a person, build up a strong personality. I plan to keep loving work and keep developing myself – and mainly just try to be happy. Life’s too short not to be happy.