Dreaming of being a chef

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Becca. Do you enjoy cooking Neil?

Yes, I do enjoy cooking. I think it's quite relaxing, especially after a busy day. How about you, Becca?

I enjoy cooking when I'm feeding other people, but usually after a busy day at work, I don't enjoy cooking for myself.

Well, we're talking about cooking today, and most of us can at least boil an egg, but not everyone could make it as a professional chef in a world-famous restaurant.

Mmm. Being a top chef requires passion, dedication, and hard work. Many chefs work 15 hours a day, six days a week, and busy kitchens cooking expensive food are very stressful places to work.

So, why do they do it? In this episode, we'll hear from one South African chef who started her own award-winning restaurant in the country known as the home of fine dining – France. As usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. And remember, you'll find all this episode's vocabulary, along with a

But first, I have a question for you, Neil. The top prizes for any professional chef are Michelin stars, awards given to restaurants offering outstanding cooking. But who is the winner of the most Michelin stars ever? Is it: a) Italian chef Enrico Bartolini, b) French chef Joël Robuchon, or c) British chef Gordon Ramsay?

I'm going to say a) the Italian chef Enrico Bartolini, because I went to Italy recently and the food was amazing!

Mmm! OK. We'll find out the answer later in this episode. Born in South Africa, chef Chantel Dartnall started her culinary career at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in the exclusive Mayfair area of London. Here, she tells Ruth Alexander, presenter of BBC World Service programme The Food Chain, how it all got started:

What happened is I had graduated from the Prue Leith College of Food and Wine and decided to send my CV to all the three-Michelin-star restaurants that I could find at that moment in the Michelin Guide.

So, you aimed high from the off.

I aimed high. The only thing that they could say was no, and what would I lose? I received a call from chef Paul Rhodes to say, "When can you start?"

Wow.

And this, sort of, just catapulted my career.

Chantel sent her CV to the world's top restaurants. CV is short for curriculum vitae, a document listing someone's education, qualifications and work experience, which they write when looking for a job. In American English, it's called a résumé.

Chantel applied to only Michelin-star-winning restaurants. She aimed high, meaning she was ambitious. Chantel says, "The worst they could do is say no," a phrase which means you shouldn't be afraid of trying to do something because the worst outcome is being rejected.

Luckily for Chantel, the answer was yes, and learning her trade in a top London restaurant catapulted, meaning accelerated, her career.

At the age of 26, Chantel left London and returned home to open her own restaurant, Mosaic, near Pretoria in South Africa. She'd been inspired by botanical cuisine, the use of edible flowers and herbs to decorate and flavour food. Here, Chantel tells more to BBC World Service programme The Food Chain:

When I opened Mosaic in South Africa, I knew I wanted something entirely different and something which diners had not seen. I wanted to have my own signature and to stand out, and I think especially for botanical cuisine in South Africa, it was very much unknown.

Chantel developed her own signature. A signature item is something that is typical of, or strongly associated with, a particular person or place. For example, whisky is Scotland's signature drink. Chantel's signature is cooking botanical food.

Chantel's Mosaic restaurant is currently at the Château des Tesnières in northern France, where it's listed among the top 200 restaurants in the world. And in 2017 she won the title Best Female Chef in the World. These achievements have helped Chantel stand out – to be more noticeable and better than other chefs.

Chantel is still waiting, but surely it's only a matter of time until she wins those coveted Michelin stars. Speaking of which, what was the answer to your question, Becca?

Ah yes, I asked you earlier, "Who is the winner of the most Michelin stars ever?"

I said that it was the Italian chef Enrico Bartolini...

...but unfortunately, it was incorrect.

Oh no!

The right answer is b) Joël Robuchon, our French chef with 31 stars – the most decorated chef in history. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with curriculum vitae, CV, or résumé in American English – a document outlining someone's education, qualifications and work experience, which they prepare when looking for a job.

To aim high means to be ambitious and set high goals.

The phrase the worst they can do is say no means 'don't be afraid of trying to do something for the fear of rejection'.

If something is catapulted, it's suddenly accelerated or launched forward.

A signature item is something that a person or place is known for.

And finally, to stand out means to be more noticeable or better than other similar things. Once again, our six minutes are up. If you enjoyed this episode, you'll find a quiz and worksheet to practise the vocabulary we've learnt on our website,

Goodbye!