Meet our Stein’s Values Champions
Meet Values Champion, Nigel
Chef de Partie Nigel was recently voted by team members and managers to be one of our first Stein’s Values Champions – someone who lives and breathes all the company values. Nigel feels very honoured to be awarded this and he feels he best represents the value ‘Right thing, right way’ as during his time at Bournemouth College, he was taught the first bite is taken with the eyes and that’s something that has always stuck with him during his chef career.
Born in Portsmouth, Nigel and his family moved to Burnei in Southern Asia in 1981 when his father got a job out there. He spent his childhood attending school in the UK and then the holidays back in Brunei. Nigel returned to the UK permanently in 1988 and has lived in Poole ever since.
Before joining our team, Nigel worked at a care home for 10 years as a kitchen porter before he decided he wanted to develop his career in the kitchen. He studied at Bournemouth College and gained his NVQ Level 2 qualification in Hospitality and Catering. In 2021, Nigel joined our team in Sandbanks as a kitchen porter. He then moved into the pastry section as a commis chef where his enthusiasm and dedication saw him quickly promoted to demi chef de partie and then last December, he progressed again to chef de partie.
When dining at our restaurants, Nigel’s favourite meal would begin with a plate of Jamón Ibérico followed by a ribeye steak, and as a pastry chef, his ideal dessert is a classic lemon posset – all paired with a glass of Australian Chardonnay. Outside of work, Nigel spends most of his free time with his wife and children, and enjoys playing computer games and going fishing when possible.
Meet Values Champion, Claire
Claire, our Reservations and Cookery School Supervisor, recently became one of our first Stein’s Values Champions – someone who lives and breathes all the company values. Claire says, “It feels really lovely to be recognised as a Values Champion by both managers and team members amongst a list of amazing and well-deserving colleagues”. The value that Claire feels she best represents is ‘Showing great team spirit’ as she loves to work in a happy environment that’s all about having a great team.
Born and raised in Newquay, Claire started her hospitality career working part-time in the restaurant at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay whilst still at school. She was then offered a role working in their reception team as an apprentice whist studying for her A Levels, and this is where her love for hospitality began.
Claire joined our team in February 2012 to work in reservations and the cookery school and has developed ever since. In 2019, she was part of the first ‘Future Stars’ programme which gave her some insight to progressing further in her career. Claire was promoted to reservations supervisor in 2021, which was shortly followed by the opportunity to become a supervisor at the cookery school too. At first, she was a little hesitant to progress to a more senior role as she is very family focused, but after attending a lunch hosted by Jill and other female managers, she was inspired that she could still be a great mum and progress in her career, “working for a family-oriented company has given me that step up with my family still always coming first”.
Outside of work, you’ll tend to find Claire on the sidelines of a football pitch with one of her two sons who are mad about the sport. They also love to go and watch their local team, Plymouth Argyle, and once a year, they all travel to the Emirates Stadium to watch Arsenal.
Meet Values Champion, Robert
Robert, waiter at St Petroc’s Bistro, was recently voted by team members and managers to be one of our first Stein’s Values Champions – someone who lives and breathes all the company values. Robert was surprised and honoured to be one of our Values Champions and appreciates that he’s been recognised for his work and living our company values. The value that he feels best represents him is ‘Right thing, right way’.
Born in Brighton and raised in Northamptonshire, Robert only moved to Cornwall with his family last year. After visiting on many family holidays over the years, they then decided to make the county their home. Before the move, Robert studied Illustration at Northampton University and after his degree he got an office job working in accounts.
Once he and his family moved and settled in Cornwall, Robert joined our team at the Bistro as a waiter in May 2023. Since working in the hospitality industry, Robert’s confidence has grown and has learnt lots of new skills to enable him to progress in his role. He’s realised he prefers a job where he can think on his feet, move around and interact with guests – rather than his previous desk job.
When dining in one of our restaurants, Robert’s go-to dish would be the tuna steak paired with a glass of Rick Stein’s Bordeaux, his favourite. Outside of work, Robert’s continued his creativity since his Illustration degree and loves to draw, he’s even done some illustrations in the bar area in St Petroc’s Bistro, make sure to check them out when you visit next.