Joanna
in Bedminster Down (Bristol)

all about me

I'm originally from a small town just outside Warsaw, Poland. I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by family that on any possible occasion celebrated together with the dining table covered with delicious sweet and savoury foods. My love for food, cooking and baking started very early. The kitchen table was a place at home where we were gathering to tell each other about our day at school, laugh together or moan a bit if needed. As a child, as a weekend activity, my dad would take us to nearby woods and teach us about foraging mushrooms, herbs, and berries, with which, we were cooking afterwards. I was always circulating around the kitchen helping with day-to-day cooking or preserving fruit and vegetable for the winter season. My adventure with baking started when I was around 10 years old. My first ever cake was polish ‘BABKA’- I continued to make the same cake repeatedly until I got it perfect. Since then, I never stopped baking. I came to the UK in 2010, to study in Wales. I completed my degree in German and Spanish, however, I was still working full time as a chef throughout. I spent some time in Spain and Austria where I worked as a pastry chef- that experience taught me a lot about different flavours and cultures. I was lucky enough to work in 3 amazing Micheline star restaurants -in Scotland, Wales and Somerset- where I learnt a lot about the techniques in pastry and baking. My work life managed to steal a massive chunk of my private life. I decided to have a little break from professional kitchens, and I become a Language Teacher. For quite some time now I was thinking about opening my own business and get into cooking and baking. I knew the only way to do it is to have something of my own. I was lucky enough to launch The Orchid Kitchen in January 2021 and now I’m happy to offer you my baked goods at All about the cooks!  

all about my food

I am obsessed with any food but my enjoyment in the kitchen really comes from a passion for baking. Baking for me is like therapy- whenever I'm stressed out or upset, baking always helps to calm me down. I love being able to get creative with flavours and designs and sharing my food with others. Cooking and baking for me is all about comfort and memories- by living so far away from my family, cooking Polish food was pretty much one thing I could do to make me feel I'm not so far away from home. By working in amazing professional kitchens, I had a chance to become a great pastry chef. Now I'm using the knowledge I gained and experiment with new flavours and textures always using homemade and fresh produce. My food is all about taste and texture. I also love to cook vegan and allergy-friendly goodies, but never compromising on amazing flavours.