{"id":36873,"date":"2025-10-20T09:07:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T08:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/?p=36873"},"modified":"2025-11-06T09:36:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T09:36:51","slug":"for-the-love-of-food-celebrating-ocs-chefs-this-international-chefs-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/for-the-love-of-food-celebrating-ocs-chefs-this-international-chefs-day\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Love of Food – Celebrating OCS Chefs this International Chef\u2019s Day 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Behind every great meal is a story; our chefs bring their whole selves, their cultures, and their creativity to every dish they serve. This\u00a0International Chef\u2019s Day, we\u2019re celebrating three of our talented chefs,\u00a0Daisy Smith, Shannon Talbot-Bennett, and Andre Alto, whose passion for food embodies our catering brand promise:\u00a0for the love of food.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cooking from the Heart<\/h3>\n

For many chefs, a love of food begins long before their first job or professional qualification. For\u00a0Daisy Smith, it started in the kitchen at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy love for food all came from my dad,\u201d Daisy shares. \u201cHe had me cooking with him from about three years old. He\u2019s definitely my biggest inspiration and one of the reasons I wanted to get into catering in the first place. I have so many fond memories of us cooking together growing up, and that\u2019s definitely why I\u2019m so passionate about what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

That early inspiration led Daisy to turn her childhood dream into a career. Today, she\u2019s part of the OCS catering team, bringing fresh ideas and flavour to every service. Her story, from kitchen helper to professional chef, was featured in our\u00a0TRUE<\/a> Story\u00a0series, where she shared how OCS has supported her to grow and thrive in the industry.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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Confidence on a Plate<\/h3>\n

For\u00a0Shannon Talbot-Bennett, food is a way of expressing identity and connecting across cultures. Originally from South Africa, Shannon\u2019s passion for cooking was born from time spent with her dad in the kitchen and around the barbecue.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy love for food started when I was a child,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing from South Africa, we used to do a lot of outdoor cooking. Then moving to the UK, I\u2019ve enjoyed learning different cuisines and ways of cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n

That openness to new flavours and techniques has helped Shannon carve out her own success, including taking home a trophy at the\u00a02025 StrEAT Food Awards<\/a>. Her winning dish combined her roots and her creativity, earning praise from judges for its bold taste and presentation.<\/p>\n

A Family Legacy<\/h3>\n

For\u00a0Andre Alto, food has always been part of family life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy love of food comes from my mother and family,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s been a huge part of my life since childhood. We were always encouraged to try new things and eat everything that was put in front of us. If I were ever asked about my love of food, it would be because of my mother, and then it stems into my wider family.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of curiosity and respect for food has guided Andre\u2019s journey as a chef. His dishes are rooted in family traditions, but he\u2019s also passionate about innovation, blending classic techniques with modern flair. He brings that kitchen-savviness to his role as catering manager at King Norton Girls\u2019 School, where he has transformed the kitchen into a nutritional and cost-effective machine.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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Our Culinary Classroom<\/a> 2024\/5 cohort<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n

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For the Love of Food<\/h3>\n

We believe great food starts with passion. Our chefs cook with care. They bring joy to our customers, colleagues, and communities through every plate they serve.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a large-scale catering event or a freshly prepared meal in one of our customer restaurants, our teams make food an experience, one that connects people, cultures, and stories.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0International Chef\u2019s Day, we\u2019re proud to celebrate Daisy, Shannon, and Andre and every OCS chef who brings our\u00a0\u201cfor the love of food\u201d<\/em>\u00a0philosophy to life every day.<\/p>\n

Their stories remind us that food is more than just sustenance. It\u2019s love, memory, creativity, and connection all shared in one bite.<\/p>\n

Happy International Chef\u2019s Day\u00a0to all our chefs across OCS. Thank you for everything you do to make a difference through food.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This\u00a0International Chef\u2019s Day, we\u2019re celebrating three of our talented chefs,\u00a0Daisy Smith, Shannon Talbot-Bennett, and Andre Alto, whose passion for food embodies our catering brand promise:\u00a0for the love of food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":10000024038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,54],"tags":[201,53],"country":[],"class_list":["post-36873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering","category-our-people","tag-catering","tag-our-people"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCelebrating International Chef's Day - OCS - UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This\u00a0International Chef\u2019s Day, we\u2019re celebrating three of our talented chefs whose passion for food embodies our catering brand promise.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ocs.com\/uk\/news\/for-the-love-of-food-celebrating-ocs-chefs-this-international-chefs-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For the Love of Food - 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