12 May 2023
For those who don’t know, Aaron Mulliss worked alongside Tom Kerridge as part of the Hand and Flowers team for 12 years, admitting the experience was a ‘whirlwind’ due to the success and accolades they achieved.
He decided it was time to leave in 2019 and he toyed with the idea of opening his own place but after looking at sites and as the process went on, he found himself asking ‘am I 100% in this?’.
Taking a step back he thought about how his skills and industry relationships could be of benefit. He decided to create his own recruitment agency, We Are Tastie, which he was set to launch in March 2020 before Covid put that on hold.
The shortage, Aaron believes, is across the board in terms of position and sectors and that is with some sectors still closed due to ‘Freedom Day’ being delayed until July. He says that the delay will of course have a negative effect but that it is ‘one of the smaller hurdles that we’ve had to get over’.
In terms of staffing, he believes now more than ever we need to look at ‘grassroots’.
“A lot of people come out of college or come into the industry and think they want to win three Michelin stars, or be the next Jamie Oliver and it’s a pipe dream, it’s fine to have those ambitions but it’s not the be all and end all."
“It’s about finding the right space for them to develop and working with young people to get them into great places to build for the next generation.”
Part of Aaron’s game-plan is to approach as many catering colleges as he can to make sure students get into places which they are going to be excited about.
“The moment you start to lose the excitement and the love, its important to reassess and make sure the next move is the right one. Now more than ever the younger generation or just staff in general need that person they can trust who has integrity and an understanding of the industry. For me it’s not about putting someone in a job just to make money.”
Luke Henderson, 27, took his own life after a battle with his mental health, someone who Aaron knew well from his time at The Hand and Flowers, he had recently opened his own restaurant in Oslo.
“Mental health is a huge talking point at the moment and has been for a while, I’ve had first hand experiences and it’s so easy to say ‘go and talk to someone’ but it’s so f***ing hard to actually do it."
“Although there is a lot more awareness and understanding of mental health now it can still be seen as a weakness."
“The biggest message I can get out to people is don’t ever let something spiral – as soon as you have something playing on your mind just say it.”