The Chef
Hello and welcome to my site. I’m Beatriz Maldonado Carreño, but you can just call me Bea. I am a private caterer and have set up this website to share with you what I know. Here you will find a guide to my services and an array of different recipes, cooking tips, tricks & secrets. But first, let me tell you a little bit more about me.
I love cooking. I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. I like to experiment and try new things; mixing up different ingredients and recipes to see what happens.
My passion for all things culinary started much earlier in life at the age of nine, taking after school cookery classes. After school I would get home to make my way through mum’s ingredients to recreate what I had learnt. Luckily we learnt some very good desserts to keep me out of trouble!
It was later on in life that I pursued what was to become my destiny. As a student, studying electronic engineering I spent my down-time learning new cookery techniques. It was also at this point that The Naked Chef made its way to Colombia (that is where I am from by the way). Being a professional chef was something relatively new in Colombia but seeing someone cook the way I loved to cook started me thinking it might be an option.
When I finished university I spent my summer at a culinary school in the USA where I met other passionate students and professional chefs. It got me thinking that cooking was a valid career option and I realised I really did want to become a professional chef.
I returned home and while working as an engineer for two years, the urge to get back into the kitchen increased and I found myself catering at any given opportunity. It soon became apparent I could no longer ignore the pull of the apron strings…
In 2005 I moved to Argentina to study culinary arts and qualified as a chef. After moving back to Colombia I ran my own successful restaurant in Bogotá before moving on to London.
In London I completed my Postgraduate Diploma before going on to work in five-star hotels and recognised restaurants. It wasn’t long before I had worked my way up to become a Head Chef. In the summer of 2014 I became a mum to a wonderful little boy and decided it was a good time to become a private caterer.
Over the years, because of my passion, creativity and ability to manage a kitchen, I’ve gained respect in the food industry. I pride myself on interacting and working closely with my clients, meeting all their catering needs. So whether we meet in person, or you just use my site for inspiration, I hope to share with you some of my wonderful recipes and cooking secrets.
