The Graduate: Patrick Nevins

From Cardiff cafe to Culinary Diploma to Dalston’s Little Duck

Patrick Nevins, junior sous chef at Dalston’s Little Duck The Picklery, couldn’t be described as your typical Leiths student. Enrolling on the Diploma in 2022, he’d already spent ten years cheffing. But running Kemi’s, a cafe in Cardiff’s Pontcanna neighbourhood owned by his mother, Kemi Nevins, wasn’t always the plan.

‘In 2014, Mum was having a knee operation. So, I was like “I’ll move back to Cardiff for a couple of months and run the cafe while you’re recovering” and then cut to nine years later I was still there.

‘The big thing was salad. Kind of like the big salad selection bar you’d see in Ottolenghi or Honey & Co, that sort of thing, sandwiches, wraps.’

Patrick and his Mum sustained the business throughout the pandemic lockdowns with vegetable box deliveries, takeaway options and socially-distanced dining.

‘After Covid, we got to a point where we were both like “we’ve got a bit of a free hit if we want to reinvent ourselves and refresh the cafe” but we were both just like “… what if we didn’t do that?”’ He laughs.

‘The cafe was open seven days a week. We could never switch off. We both felt like it had run its course and selling the cafe was going to fund me doing the Diploma.’

As it turns out, Patrick had been a fan of Leiths for a long time.

‘Years ago, my auntie got me a knife skills afternoon course. Then my Mum and I came up for a Honey & Co evening demonstration at the school and in 2018, my Mum did the food presenting course and loved it. I didn’t even really think about going to anywhere else. I was so set on it.

‘At the cafe, we were so dialled into what we were doing, I thought the course was going to show me a bit of everything.

‘One of the first lessons was crème anglaise and white sauce and I’d never done that before.

‘I had loads of fun, met some good friends who I’m still in contact with now. We had a great class. Really good guest dems. I just enjoyed pretty much all aspects of it.

‘I could have done a million different things, different courses or taken a million different routes into the industry. But I really, really liked doing the course.’

On graduating, Patrick accepted a job at Little Duck. Since starting, he’s rapidly been promoted to junior sous chef.

‘The combination of Leiths and the cafe has come more to the fore. I can do a lot of the cooking but also the reason I’ve been promoted so quickly is because I ran a business for ten years. So doing stock takes and invoices and doing the food log hasn’t been a challenge.

‘I was talking to students at Career’s Day about getting work experience and all you need to write is “Dear blank, I’m a student at Leiths, these are the dates I’m free.” And that’s all they need to know about you.’