My food & drink job: Jesse Kempner, head of food, Mindful Chef

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Mindful_Chef_15_ChefJesse

Name: Jesse Kempner

Age: 29

Job title: Head of food

Company & location: Mindful Chef, London

Education: Professional Culinary Diploma at Leiths School of Food & Wine

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? At various times I wanted to be an astronaut, a vet and an explorer!

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I started to cook regularly aged 16, when I started to take more of an interest in health and nutrition and quickly found that it was a great outlet for stress, as I found it very meditative. I quickly became the main ‘chef’ at home, and also quickly realised how little food education either of my parents had.

After I left school, I had a brief stint at Newcastle University and spent most of my spare time cooking for my housemates and new uni friends. When I left uni, it was so clear that my future was in food. I was drawn to food because I found it to be the easiest and most reliable way to make people happy and bring them together, whilst also offering so many opportunities to learn and travel. It’s an industry that can really take you anywhere.

“As a chef it’s a constant balancing act between creativity, deliciousness, and cost”

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I’m head of food at Mindful Chef, where I work with our all-female chef team to create our weekly-changing menu of nutritious recipes. I also help shape and implement our overall food strategy, ensuring that what we put on the menu reflects who we are as a brand, delivers on quality, whilst also working commercially.

What does a typical day look like for you? No two days are ever the same, which I love. Mornings usually start with tastings or menu development sessions with the team, refining recipes and exploring new ingredients. I’ll spend time reviewing the nutrition of all our recipes with our head of health Sasha, which is a core part of the process.

I work closely with our buyers and suppliers on seasonal produce, and brainstorming future menus or restaurant collaborations. There’s always a lot of testing, tweaking and problem-solving, plus plenty of conversations about flavour, sustainability and how we can make things easier for home cooks.

Mindful Chef 2024

Tell us how you went about applying for your job: I joined four-and-a-half years ago as a recipe developer, following a rigorous three-stage interview process. The second stage was a MasterChef-style cookery challenge, where the four final candidates were invited to the office to cook two new recipes for the team.

I think the hardest part was working to such a tight brief, whilst also trying to set yourself apart from the rest of the candidates. It was a good lesson though, as so often with midweek meal development, you have to balance your creativity (and ego) with purpose. At the end of the day, with mid-week healthy dinners simplicity always wins!

What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? Hands down, it’s knowing the food we create becomes part of people’s everyday lives.

Whether it’s helping someone cook something delicious during a busy week, being part of their efforts to reduce food waste at home, or bringing families together around the table… that real-world impact is incredibly rewarding.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? That it’s all cooking and tasting! There’s definitely that side, but it’s not only a creative industry… As a chef it’s a constant balancing act between creativity, deliciousness, and cost – as ultimately this is also going to be felt by the customer.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Stay curious and say yes to opportunities, even if they feel outside your comfort zone. I tried so many different paths – from working in catering to a private chef on an estate – to figure out my skill-set and what I wanted to do in the long run. Learn the fundamentals, taste everything, and don’t be afraid to start small. The industry rewards passion, resilience and creativity, and there are so many different paths beyond traditional chef roles.

What’s your ultimate career dream? To keep shaping a more positive food system, one that celebrates flavour, supports farmers, reduces waste and makes healthy eating accessible to everyone. Also, if I can inspire people to reconnect with real food and just have a go in the kitchen without feeling that they can’t cook… then I’ll be very happy.