When we think about what makes a great chef, we usually focus on the cooking, for obvious reasons. But there are countless other attributes which make the list: attention to detail, creativity, and being a good team player, to name a few. Teaching, too, should surely make the cut; the best chefs often go on to head up kitchens, inspire those working under them and pass on the valuable lessons they’ve learned, making a grasp of coaching and communicating crucial. As a child, chef Anna Tobias thought she’d become a teacher; and while her career hasn’t taken her to the classroom as she imagined, mentoring is still at the heart of what she does, and one of her favourite parts of being a chef.

Food was at the centre of many of Anna's formative memories, but she didn’t see its potential as a career until she was a teenager. She fondly remembers plucking fresh produce from her grandmothers' vegetable gardens, and beginning many of her family meals with soups and broths with dumplings, thanks to her mother’s Serbian heritage. She arrived in London at thirteen, via Hong Kong, America and Germany (where she remembers weekly trips to the market for sausage and chips), and moved to Oxford for university a few years later. It was while there, studying modern languages, that she began to nurture her love of food, spending her free time watching cooking shows on TV. She posted letters to chefs she was keen to work with and was given her start by Jeremy Lee, who she joined at Blueprint Café in the capital. He proved to be an influential first mentor, equipping Anna with foundations in uncomplicated, delicious food. ‘Jeremy gave me an incredible grounding in pastry, which I think chefs can lack,’ she says. ‘It’s amazing to work with someone who cares a lot about puddings and who has a real joy of pastry. I was very grateful for that. And, secondly, he gave me an education in who I should be reading, like Elizabeth David and Julia Childs.’

Anna left the restaurant after a year, nudged into a crossroads by a difficult personal time which left her unsure if cooking was the right path. She applied for a position at The River Café and decided that if she didn’t hear back, she’d seek a new direction. Thankfully, Anna landed a spot in the iconic kitchen, a renowned training ground which has legendary chefs like Theo Randall, Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall among its alumni. ‘It’s really amazing,’ Anna nods. ‘It’s a great place for young chefs; you get incredible training, particularly when it comes to the prep. Their vegetable cookery focus is also brilliant.’ Having learned all she could, after a few years she hit a glass ceiling and knew it was time for a new challenge, this time at Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnold's Rochelle Canteen, another bastion of simple, honest cooking, where she worked her way up to head chef.