A Passion for Pâtisserie

Chef Matthew Hodgett is a decorated pâtisserie teaching chef at Le Cordon Bleu London who possesses rich skills acquired over the years from his stints with brands like InterContinental Hotel, the American Embassy, and Claridges, and as head pastry chef for the Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Wentworth Golf Course. Akshay Nayak captures glimpses of his journey in the culinary space

- Akshay Nayak

Chef Matthew Hodgett's love for pâtisserie started well before kick-starting his professional career in baking from Stamford Hotel. “When I was young, of about 7-8 years, I used to bake cakes at home,” reminisces Chef Hodgett about how his passion for pâtisserie was there within him right since his childhood. “There on, I used to bake cakes on every Sunday at my home with recipes inspired by my mother. Since my childhood, I have always been interested in cake decoration. We siblings used to compete in cake decoration, which would be judged by family… that is how I got into pursuing my childhood passion as a career,” adds Chef Hodgett. After furthering his training and gaining an Advanced Pastry qualification, Chef Hodgett worked at Hanbury Manor and later Gravetye Manor, where he helped them earn their first Michelin star.

Challenges & opportunities

Although passion is the key driver, Chef Hodgett says that there are challenges which when countered correctly help you hone your skills. “The initial challenge that I faced was that in my professional career, I did not start with pastry but cuisine, which has its own shortcomings. But, having worked with various restaurants and hotels, I was blessed with good mentors who trained me well to meet what a given situation demanded,” he notes.

Having prepared pastries for various large banquets, when asked about how he coped with the pressure, he replied, “I once had to make 1000 souffles for a banquet and I didn’t give a second thought but just made them. The biggest banquet that I have done was with the InterContinental which had 2000 covers, and we just dealt with it how it came. One should deal with the pressure as it comes. You just have to do it. If you can’t handle it, there is no point in doing what you do.”