Honest Chats with Nuno Resende,
Head Chef at The Ninth
Considering a career as a chef? Nuno Resende, Head Chef at award-winning, Michelin-starred The Ninth London tells us all about what it really takes to be a chef, and gives honest advice for those looking to follow his path.
The Ninth is a contemporary, relaxed neighbourhood restaurant in the heart of Fitzrovia, London, serving creative menus consisting of unique French Mediterranean dishes. Currently hiring right now on Placed App, we took a visit not only to chat to Nuno, but to give candidates a real feel for what it’s like to work here.
Head Chef Nuno has been working at The Ninth for 6 years, and has been a core member since the restaurant opened – beginning as a Chef de Partie.
“I started in hospitality initially as a Kitchen Porter, where I saw chefs cooking everyday. One day I approached them and asked them to teach me, so they taught me how to cook while I worked as a porter. Once I felt confident cooking, I applied for chef jobs, starting as a commis chef and eventually worked my way up.”
“I never did formal chef studies – I just studied with other chefs and learnt on the go. If I ever had a question, I would just ask more experienced chefs and learn from them.”
“If you’re looking to become a chef, my advice is to find a cuisine that you’re passionate about, read books and go work with chefs that are doing what you like. There are so many chefs out there that will want to teach you. That’s how I found my job. I knew I liked French cuisine and found chefs who wanted to teach me, which gave me the opportunity to work my way through a career. Just know what you want to do, and find someone to teach you. “
“If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be a cinematographer. I moved to the UK initially to start a cinema school, but I started working in the kitchen and just continued cooking. I needed the job initially to live, but the career just happened and I loved it.”
“My favourite dish to cook is pasta. It’s quite therapeutic to make. And it’s nice to eat pasta that you’ve made from scratch. It can be any kind of pasta dish – everybody likes pasta so it’s always a good one to cook for people.”
“Being a chef in London, you’ll get the best ingredients in the world. Having good friends as your team, it feels great coming to work. You actually want to come into work to be with them – during the pandemic lockdown, our team did miss each other. It’s very rewarding when you cook for people who enjoy it and give you good reviews.”
“If you’re responsible, timely and have a good work ethic, you’ll make a great chef. If you want to progress as a chef, my advice is to work hard and take advice from others. Don’t think you know everything – just keep asking questions. I still see chefs with over 20 years of experience asking questions.”
“As a chef, the hours can be long, but if you’re working with a team you like and are making the food you like, it no longer becomes an issue. But even with long hours, we’re always conscious of staff wellbeing. At the Ninth, everybody gets three and a half days off a week, so you still have time for yourself.”
“The thing that makes me the happiest is having happy customers who recognise the effort you put in. Sometimes we’ll add a little detail to a dish and not expect anyone to notice, but when someone notices the extra mile we went and then writes a good review, it’s so rewarding.”
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