THIS ISSUE

How cooking saved me

Gordon Ramsay’s better known for his ferocity than his abilities as a therapist, but for budding chef Joudie Kalla, 30, a stint in one of his kitchens turned her life around

Hold the double espresso. Working in a professional kitchen alongside the likes of Gordon Ramsay may not be a calming, Zen-like experience, but it sure gets the day off to a buzzing start.

Surrounded by steam, the clatter of stainless steel, multicoloured fresh veg and an even fresher supply of F-words, the adrenalin rush of a professional kitchen became a life-saver for Londoner Joudie Kalla.

‘I desperately needed that wake-up call,’ she says. ‘I’ve been a rebel since I was little; I was expelled from school for persistent rule-breaking. After university, I moved back in with my parents and drifted through mind-numbing data-entry and retail jobs. I soon sank into depression, triggered by my aimlessness.’ Joudie found herself cooking to cure her blues and insomnia. ‘My dad would find me making hearty soups and soothing curries at 3am. It was a welcome distraction; I went into a happy trance at the stove.’ After taking a one-year professional cooking course, Joudie landed a job at Pengelley’s, part of the Ramsay empire. ‘It was just the shock treatment I needed. My rebellious streak bowed to the discipline of the kitchen.

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