Having always had a passion for cooking for friends and family, Inez fell in love with working in professional kitchens after she became commis chef at her local fine dining restaurant. She cites the variety of experiences and the opportunities to learn as what she enjoys most about life in the kitchen.
Culinary Confidence and Inspiration
Since starting out, Inez has grown in confidence, learning how to showcase her own identity through cooking – something she says the YNCOTY process has taught her a lot about. She highlights her first head chef, Robbert Ossenkoppele, as having had a big impact on her, saying that he instilled a drive in her to create and seek out new opportunities.
Final Menu Influences
With her signature style still in development, her final menu draws inspiration from the sugar beets eaten during the Dutch ‘Hunger Winter’ period as well as other traditional Dutch foods and flavour combinations. Instead of using sugar beets, she chose to include white beetroots, with the main part of the dish revolving around fermented ‘black’ apples and apple syrup, a spread that traditionally was eaten on dark rye bread or with cheese.
Embracing Opportunity
A firm believer in saying yes to opportunities, she says winning the competition would be a massive honour for her. Initially unsure whether her long hours would leave her with enough time to truly give the competition her all, her resolve has kept her motivated throughout the process. She is keen to encourage other chefs to embrace saying yes to opportunities too, adding that by entering competitions like YNCOTY, young chefs have nothing to lose and so much to gain.
Looking to the Future
Inez plans to continue challenging herself and surrounding herself with other ambitious people. Looking to her future, she hopes to always be working in places and for people that inspire her and push her to be the best she can be.