
Gordon Ramsay’s better known for his ferocity than his abilities as a therapist, but for budding chef Joudie Kalla, 30, a stint in one of his kitchens turned her life around

Joudie Kalla is one smart cookie. In a world full of women (and men) who drudge aimlessly from day to day, tuck in ‘blah’ mind numbing careers because they aren’t sure what they want – or aren’t sure they can do it- people like Joudie prove that it doesn’t have to be that way. A successful 30 year old who realised he talent and wasn’t afraid to use it, she’s walking talking proof that you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Chicken and salad together in the same sentence can sound pretty boring, but who said that it has to be a traditional idea of salad with lettuce tomatoes and olives with a vinaigrette dressing.

Joudie Kalla (www.jkcatering.co.uk) worked under Gordon Ramsay at pengelley’s, then Daphnes and Papillon. She is competent and utterly obliging; she also offers private catering for children if you have small mouths to feed.

I set up my sweetest things, a children’s cookery school, because my nephews and nieces really wanted to be a part of what I was doing. With their help, I learned how to coax children into eating things they usually wouldn’t, and found if they made everything themselves they would have no problem eating it. Children need to be more proactive in the kitchen and get away from television and computer games. It is really important that they get to know what effort is out into their food, as well as learning how to enjoy it.
This personable individual is a great cook and charming guest. Invite her into you own kitchen for private cookery classes: she will teach you all the basics, and more. Kalla offers individual or group tuition (also available in her Chelsea home) for adults and children;

Hey good-looking, what you got cooking?
In Joudie Kalla’s case, rather a lot.
One of London’s most personable chefs (and possibly one of the prettiest), Kalla offers bespoke cookery parties for adults, teens and children, either in her Kensington kitchen or your own kitchen/party venue. Having worked under Gordon Ramsay at Pengelley’s, then Daphne’s and Papillon, she is highly qualified and wonderfully patient.

What if, instead of political party chiefs, we had young and trendy chefs who ruled the Middle East? Enter Joudie Kalla, a 30 year old Palestinian chef based in London and a Catherine Zeta-Jones look-a-like, who we think should cater for the next round of peace negotiations. Trust us, no one will disagree then.

Once you've survived 18-hour days in a Gordon Ramsay kitchen you're tough enough to take on a room full of unreasonable six-year-olds, or so Joudie Kalla would have us believe. After toiling as a chef in London restaurants including Pengelley's, Daphne's and Papillon, Kalla, who also squeezed in an architecture degree along the way, feels she's taken control of her work-life balance. She now teaches cooking to youngsters and grown-ups when she's not running a catering business for private and corporate clients.
This personable individual is a great cook and charming guest. Invite her into you own kitchen for private cookery classes: she will teach you all the basics, and more. Kalla offers individual or group tuition (also available in her Chelsea home) for adults and children;