A Felix Festive Feast

Toto, originally from Milan, has always been passionate about food for its magic ability of bringing different people together around a table. After 12 years spent in corporate consultancy, Toto followed his ambition of becoming a chef and never looked back since! He joined a professional culinary diploma at Westminster Kingsway College and fulfilled a lifelong dream of working in Paris as a chef.

Back in the Big Smoke, he set up his own company, The Italian Supper Club. It was an independent catering business specialised in Italian food and products for private parties, weddings and any sort of receptions.

Toto joined Felix in November 2024 as a Chef Trainer, to lead the new kitchen employability scheme in Poplar. His motto in the kitchen is that food tastes better when it has a story to tell.

Zachary, better known as Zack, is originally from Somalia and has refugee status in the UK. He came to Felix through BEAM, a charity that supports unemployed young people into work. Zack’s favourite dish is Haniid and Bariis – slow-cooked lamb served with rice.

Maisie comes from East London and joined us through a referral from Leyton Orient Football Trust. Maisie is vegetarian, and she shared her very own family recipe for fennel pasta with the rest of the team. Together, we prepared and enjoyed the dish in the training kitchen.

Acelya grew up in care in East London and has Turkish heritage. When asked to share a family recipe with the team, she chose to cook stuffed aubergine, and it was absolutely delicious. Acelya is extroverted, funny, and always a pleasure to have around.

Vish has German-Sri Lankan heritage and was referred to us by the EXIT Foundation. His favourite dish is Kothu Roti, a Sri Lankan stir-fry made with rice, roti and chicken, which we prepared together on the plancha. Vish joined the team a little later, but his passion and enthusiasm are truly contagious.