Business, Services & Management – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 hospitality 10 teamwork skills 11 background noise 12 spices

13 noodle dishes 14 nut allergies 15 seafood soup

16 weather changes 17 Mexico 18 cooking school

Mia: Hi everyone, my name is Mia, and I’m a chef on a luxury cruise ship. I’m here to tell you about my career journey and how travelling the world has shaped the way I cook.

Interestingly, I didn’t originally plan to be a chef. When I left school, my parents urged me to get a job in a bank. I resisted that, and ended up taking a course in hospitality. It was only during an internship there that I realised the kitchen was my true calling, so I quickly switched my focus to the culinary arts.

Getting a job on a cruise ship is notoriously tough. You’d think the recruiters look primarily for extensive cooking experience, and I was worried because I was relatively newly qualified. But my interviewer was actually much more interested in my teamwork skills, which I’d highlighted on my CV. That’s what ultimately secured me the role.

Working in a ship’s main galley, or kitchen, is an intense experience. It operates twenty-four hours a day and feeds thousands of people. I was fully prepared for the extreme heat, having worked in busy restaurants before. But the constant background noise was something that took me a few weeks to get used to. It’s a mix of roaring ovens, shouting chefs, and clattering pans!

One of the best perks of the job is the travel. When we dock, the head chef and I often go ashore to buy local produce. While we usually rely on central international suppliers for our bulk meat and dairy, we always try to source fresh spices directly from the local markets. The quality and aroma are just unbeatable.

Working alongside a diverse crew has taught me so much about global cuisines. I thought I knew how to make a decent Indian curry, but an Indonesian colleague taught me otherwise. But what really transformed my cooking style was mastering authentic noodle dishes from an amazing Thai chef onboard. That completely changed my understanding of balancing sweet, sour, and salty flavours.

Cooking for so many passengers also means handling complex dietary requests. We always ensure there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options available. However, catering for passengers with nut allergies requires the most careful preparation. We have to use completely separate cooking areas to ensure their safety.

Recently, the executive chef allowed me to add one signature item to the formal dining menu. I initially toyed with the idea of a classic French dessert, as baking is a hobby of mine. Eventually, though, I settled on a seafood soup, which was inspired by a beautiful trip to the Mediterranean coast. It’s now the most frequently ordered starter on the ship!

Of course, working at sea has its unique physical challenges. People often assume that seasickness is the worst part of our job. While that can be unpleasant initially, actually, sudden weather changes are our biggest headache, as they can cause ships to be rerouted, leading to major delays in food deliveries at the ports.

I’ve visited dozens of countries over the last few years. Because I’m a chef, people always assume my favourite stop must be Italy because of the incredible pasta and pizzas. In fact, my absolute favourite destination is Mexico, simply because the street food culture there is incredibly vibrant and inspiring. I always come back with new recipe ideas.

So, what’s next for me? After five years at sea, I’m almost ready to settle down on dry land. I don’t want to work in a massive international hotel, which was actually my original dream when I started. Instead, I’m saving up my salary to open my own cooking school back in my hometown. I can’t wait to share my global knowledge with others.

9 hotel 10 stress 11 fashion model 12 mushrooms

13 applesauce 14 texture 15 energy levels

16 business management 17 delivery service 18 innovative

Julian: Hi everyone, my name is Julian, and I’m here to talk about my rather unusual career path in the culinary world. Like many young chefs, after finishing my training, I initially assumed I’d be working in a top-end restaurant in the city centre. As it turned out, my very first professional role was based in a large hotel, which gave me a fantastic grounding in dealing with high-volume services.

I stayed there for three years. While the pay was reasonable and I didn’t mind the long shifts, it wasn’t the physical exhaustion that eventually got to me. It was actually the relentless stress of the environment that forced me to rethink my career choices. I knew I needed a completely different pace if I wanted to stay in the food industry.

I began exploring opportunities as a private cook. I applied for a position with a well-known actor and almost got it, but at the last minute, an agency matched me with a fashion model who was looking for a full-time chef. It seemed like a highly unusual and exciting opportunity, so I jumped at the chance.

There was a catch, though. My new boss was strictly vegan. Coming from a traditional culinary background, I was used to relying heavily on butter, cheese, and meat. I naively assumed she would want me to prepare endless bowls of green salads. However, I quickly learned that her absolute favourite ingredient to see on the menu was mushrooms, as they provide a wonderfully rich, earthy quality to dishes.

I essentially had to completely relearn how to cook. Baking without eggs was particularly tricky. In my early experiments, I tried using mashed bananas as a substitute in cakes, but the flavour was far too overpowering. Fortunately, I soon found out that using applesauce was the ideal solution for keeping cakes moist without ruining the taste.

People often ask me what the most difficult aspect of plant-based cooking is. Many assume it’s inventing completely new recipes from scratch. But to be completely honest, achieving the perfect texture proved to be my biggest hurdle. Getting a dairy-free sauce to be perfectly silky takes a huge amount of trial and error!

An unexpected side effect of this new job was how it affected me personally. I started eating exactly what I was cooking for my boss. I thought I might lose weight, but what I really noticed was a massive improvement in my energy levels. I no longer felt sluggish during the afternoons, which was an absolute revelation to me.

This experience completely ignited my passion for plant-based gastronomy, and I now want to take it much further. Instead of just taking advanced culinary classes, I’m currently enrolled in a course focusing on business management, because I need to thoroughly understand the financial side of the food industry before I take my next big step.

And what is that next step? Well, a lot of my former colleagues are saving up to open their own fine-dining restaurants or local cafes. That’s not for me, though. I am actually putting together a detailed plan to launch a delivery service providing gourmet, plant-based meals directly to people’s homes.

When people ask me to describe my current approach to cooking, they often expect me to use words like ‘healthy’ or ‘clean’. While those are certainly true, I prefer to think that the food I create is truly innovative. It’s all about pushing boundaries and proving that plant-based cuisine can be spectacular.