Day in the Life of Michael Sharp
What’s your name and job title?
Hello! My name is Michael Sharp. I am a Culinary Specialist.
What team do you work in at the NHS Supply chain?
I work in the Operations team as part of NHS Supply Chain: Food.
What does your typical working day entail?
Everyday is different! The beauty of my role is that no two days are the same. One day I could be engaging with a trust, helping design fresh new dishes and menus for service, and another day I could be hosting an event like our Chef’s Academy and the newly launched Skills Academy!
Other days I’ll be supporting key stakeholders, such as NHS England’s Chef of the Year event for example. I’m a mentor of the competition which is a huge honour for me. I guess you could say a big part of my ‘typical’ day is planning… As a team, we are always working three months ahead of schedule, our diaries fill up quickly with various projects and trust visits so organisation and planning is key to my role.
What is your experience / tell us about your previous experience?
Since the age of 10 I have worked in Hospitality. I started out as a Kitchen Porter, which led me to undertaking my first full time role as an Apprentice Chef at 16 years old in a Two Rosette Fine Dining Inn.
Over the years, I continued to learn and develop my craft as a Chef in establishments that varied from Three Rosette Hotels to National Trust Coffee Shops and everything in-between. I achieved my first Head Chef role at the age of 24 for the Bannatyne group in Somerset. After four years, I was offered the Group Chef role for four hotels across the country.

Following this, I then decided to widen my skillset to training and mentoring, working as a Chef Academy Trainer for Hospitality Industry Training (HIT). During COVID, an opportunity came along at a Hospital as the Executive Chef, mainly focusing on the retail aspect, catering for ten thousand on-site staff with an innovative street food offer, and a revamp of menu items through the restaurant. I was also part of the team that built a new concept for a purpose-built coffee shop in the grounds of the trust. Combining all the skills I have gained over the course of my career, it has now put me in the perfect position to further support the NHS on a wider scale, helping support trusts on delivering their goals and visions for the future.
My life mission is to bring people out of their shells and realise how incredible they really are, make them laugh, feel better and open their minds up to a different narrative and way of thinking, that’s what I really love to do.
Can you tell us about the skills academy project you’ve been working on recently?
Our team have recently launched the Skills Academy following the success of our award-winning Chef’s Academy. It’s a new, innovative program that offers General Catering Assistants the opportunity to develop their skills across operations, nutrition, teamwork and lots more. Those who attend get the chance to put their skills into practice through cooking demos, hands-on cooking sessions, as well as the chance to network and collaborate with culinary professionals, colleagues across the NHS.
As mentioned before, this came after the success of the Chefs Academy, where we took chefs out from their trust kitchens for the first time and into a safe, inclusive space where they can experience different ideas, innovations, work together and collectively understand the NHS culinary mission. The difference here is that the Skills Academy is all about General Catering Assistants, our unsung heroes!
Their roles are so extensive, from food preparation and serving food to plating up dishes, they work day in and day out and deserve to be recognised. That’s exactly what we hope to achieve with skills academy, it gives them the opportunity, like the Chef’s Academy, to engage and provide value to what they do, so they are at the forefront. Our main mission is to show our General Catering Assistants that they already have an amazing existing skill set that can be developed in new ways!
So far, we’ve had three successful events, with more coming up in September at University West London! This is just the beginning for the Skills Academy, and I can’t wait to see it grow and hopefully become as widely recognised as our Chef’s Academy.
What inspired you and the team to start the skills academy?
As part of my interview, I was asked how we can take Chef’s Academy to the next level. My answer was based on my previous career experiences within hospitals and training / development where I helped General Catering Assistants to elevate their offerings by using smart techniques to create maximum effect.
I really saw the success of helping develop the General Catering Assistants and I realised that they are an added value to trusts – we just need to help inspire them to create foods that they are passionate about and then we’re onto a great thing! I wanted to develop on these learnings and experiences to continue to make a difference within the NHS. I guess I just really want to inspire as many people as I can.
Can you share a specific skill that you are particularly excited to teach in the skills academy and why?
Great question! Knife skills are definitely up there but I’d say what I’m most excited about is seeing the personal and professional development of those who attend. The Skills Academy (I hope) will develop our General Catering Assistants in ways like never before. I want them all to go back to their trusts with a newfound confidence in themselves, tap into their culinary creativity, innovate and push for difference, feel respected, and feel worthy! With that I hope will come a whole range of other skills. I think the academy will really build their talents and understanding of what great food can look like and I’m so excited to witness it all.
What advice would you give to general catering assistants who are starting their journey in the culinary field and looking to take part in the skills academy?
Come to our skills academy, of course! It’s a great day out and you’ll get to hear loads of dad jokes from me throughout the day! Though in all seriousness, I believe that everyone needs a goal to work towards and a vision. You need a good foundation, skillset and a commitment to a level of continued education. The more you learn, the more you can integrate throughout your culinary journey. Learn your craft, always develop your skills. That’s why I am lucky to be where I am today, I’ve worked hard throughout the years and have had the mindset to always keep learning no matter what role I’m in. By coming to our academy, you are doing just that, throwing yourself in and taking a step towards your goal!
Can you describe a memorable moment from the skills academies so far?
When the day starts, everyone walks into the venue quiet and a little nervous… By the end, everyone is having a laugh with each other, they’re engaged, have learnt new things and met new people who they have common ground with. Rather than one stand-out moment, it’s those moments where you see everyone’s faces just light up and they’ve got a huge smile across their face – those are the most memorable for me.
Finally, tell us about yourself!
I love the universe, I have a huge interest in science and history. I also have a fair bit of interest in comedy and sports like golf (but not football – controversial, I know!). As a child I wanted to become an actor, Jim Carrey inspired me so much and made me realise that you can do and achieve anything you put your mind to. I also love to socialise and spend time with my family, I have two young sons who are great fun.
My life mission is to bring people out of their shells and realise how incredible they really are, make them laugh, feel better and open their minds up to a different narrative and way of thinking, that’s what I really love to do. Finally, living life to the fullest, because you’ve only got one shot!
Links section
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Skills Academy 2024
Interested? Read our Skills Academy page for upcoming events and more information.
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Introducing Skills Academy
NHS Supply Chain introduce brand new culinary training experience ‘Skills Academy’ for Catering staff.
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Food
Category information and links relating to our food products and services.