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Bernice Kariuki: Meet a Kenyan Woman from Jericho Working as Arsenal Football Club’s Chef
Bernice Kariuki, a Kenyan-born chef based in the UK is living her dreams after landing a job at Arsenal Football Club.
Bernice, who was born and raised in Jericho within Nairobi’s Eastlands area, joined the north London-based club as the first-team private chef earlier this year. She is part of a team that is responsible for the giant English Premier League side’s first-team menus.
“A girl from the ghetto Jericho living nothing but her dreams. May I reintroduce myself as Arsenal’s first-team private chef,” an elated Bernice said following her appointment.
Working under Arsenal’s Executive Chef Darren Taylor, Bernice prepares meals for first-team players, manager Mikel Arteta, and members of the technical bench. She is also tasked with managing the nutrition needs of the team before and after matches, as well as menus for the traveling team.
Bernice, who studied culinary arts at Westminster Kingsway College in London, has previously worked at top hotels in Britain among them The Lanesborough, The Dorchester, and The Waldorf Hilton in London.
Arsenal is one of the most successful football clubs in England and Europe with 13 league titles and 14 FA cups.
Kenya’s High Commissioner to the UK Manoah Esipisu recently recognized Bernice’s achievements, hailing her as a trailblazer. The two met recently in Windsor, Berkshire at a forum for Kenyans living in the UK.
“Delighted to bump into Arsenal first-team chef Bernice Kariuki at a black-tie Kenya UK Diaspora event in Windsor, Berkshire. Trailblazing and embodying the Kenyan ‘can do’ spirit. Congratulations,” Esipisu wrote on Twitter.