Akeira Beckford: from commis chef to competition champion
Akeira Beckford is in the early stages of her culinary career, yet she’s already proving to be one to watch. Having started with Sodexo in 2023 as a commis chef, she’s quickly made her mark and in October she was crowned the as the winner in the novice category in Sodexo’s first national Food of Black Origin competition.
“Food has always been a focal point for me and my family,” admits Akeira. “My mum and dad grew up in Jamaica and are proud of their heritage. The kitchen was always busy, as cooking Jamaican food helped them feel close to their roots. Making meals from scratch with fresh produce was a big part of my childhood.”
Despite developing an early love for food, Akeira had initially set her career sights elsewhere and opted to study media at The University of Westminster. “I started in 2020, but there were Covid restrictions in place, so it wasn’t easy,” she says. “But I had a lot of passion for what I was doing and was determined to put my all in.”
She finished the course but by the time she graduated her enthusiasm was waning. “I was looking to get a job in a restaurant; I wanted to go down a completely different path.”
In October 2023, aged 21, she joined Sodexo as a commis chef at a Health & Care client site. “In the first few months I was making sandwiches, assisting the chefs with prep and gaining my confidence,” says Akeira. “I had lots of support from the team around me.”
It was this encouragement combined with her own enthusiasm that saw Akeira rapidly take on more responsibility – in August this year she was promoted to chef de partie and has recently started her Level 1 NVQ in Hospitality and Catering. She has quickly become a key player in a six-strong team responsible for catering for patients and staff at a hospital, and thrives on the pace of the kitchen.
“I love being in the moment, particularly that last push before you’re about to start a service,” she says. “And when you hear positive feedback from customers. One patient said to me: ‘This the best meal I’ve eaten during my entire stay’. It just gives me such a great feeling inside.”
It’s little wonder that Akeira’s cooking is a hit with hospital patients, as she adapts dishes to give people exactly what they need, and want, to eat. “As someone with allergies myself, I like to reassure people that we can produce a meal that meets their needs, is nutritious and tasty. I’ll cook to people’s tastes and I’m often experimenting, putting twists on core recipes to add different flavours,” she says.
“I’m inquisitive in my cooking and that’s my personality in the kitchen too – if I’ve finished what I’m doing I’ll always watch what the other chefs are doing, try and learn something from them and ask if I can help.”
It’s a trait that hasn’t gone unnoticed, and is what prompted Akeira’s sous chef to suggest she should enter Sodexo’s first Food Of Black Origin (FOBO) competition. At first she thought competitive cooking would make her feel “like a fish out of water”, but once she saw the brief, she knew she could have something to bring. “I’m in my comfort zone cooking Jamaican dishes and when I read there was a category for novice chefs, I thought it was a perfect opportunity,” says Akeira.
The FOBO competition invited current and future chefs to showcase their favourite street food-style ‘grab and go’ dishes of Black origin and share their food stories inspired by their friends and family. Drawing from her Jamaican heritage, she devised her own recipe of jackfruit bakes – fried Caribbean dumplings filled with brown stew jackfruit, accompanied by plantain and coleslaw. “I was vegan for seven years but to me jackfruit isn’t a meat substitute, it’s a very sustainable and versatile ingredient and one I love.”
It captured the judges’ imagination and she was shortlisted and invited to cook the dish at the live final in October, held at the Manchester-based cooking school and event space, Food Sorcery. Three judges on the day all picked Akeira’s entry as the stand out dish of the day, praising its simplicity, authenticity and flavour, and she took the top spot in the novice category.
“I surprised myself,” admits Akeira. “My family were so happy when I told them I’d won. I FaceTimed my mum and she said ‘I’m so proud of you’. Part of the prize is a two-night stay at the Scarlett Barn in Devon, and my family are coming with me.” Akeira also won a hamper, and is looking forward to seeing what’s inside so she can get some inspiration for her next culinary creations.
There’s no doubt that she’s made a flying start, winning a national competition so early in her Sodexo career, and she’s not stopping now. “I’m discovering more and more about Sodexo – it’s a business that offers you a lot. I’ve just been introduced to the Ingenium e-learning platform and have started some training modules, and employee benefits through YuLife are a real bonus.”
“What excites me is that there is the potential to move around sites; I’ve seen that with my own chef manager’s experience. I would love to travel to other contracts; even cook in other countries. It’s a really good company to grow and learn in.”