‘I didn’t do Leiths because of my stroke. I did it for myself.’

Katya Katalinic was eighteen, and four days from flying home from South Africa, when she had a stroke in a hostel in Cape Town.

‘Two years ago, I was like an eighteen-year-old newborn baby. I didn’t know who my parents were. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t walk.’

She had suffered a stroke, both a brain clot and a bleed, meaning the chances of her surviving an induced coma and craniotomy were slim. She spent four months recovering in hospital in South Africa, with her mum Marsha sleeping next to her in an armchair, teaching her everything about her life before the stroke. The doctors had said that if she did survive, she would probably be in a wheelchair with a feeding tube and would never speak again. ‘I’d sort of be half of a human.’

When we speak, she has just got back from a much-deserved holiday after finishing her Culinary Diploma at Leiths. The following day, she is due to start her job as a demi chef de partie at The Woodcote, a bistro in West Sussex where there is an emphasis on local ingredients.

To say this is a dream come true would suggest that Katya and her family would have believed it was even possible. But after returning to the UK, Katya had been unable to leave her mum’s side and, mostly, unable to leave her home either.

‘Slowly but surely, I was able to leave the house to go and visit my dad, who lives literally about three minutes in the car away from my mum’s house. But for a long time I was just too scared to even get in the car.’

She had sustained ten per cent brain damage, in the speech and language area, and reading was a real challenge. ‘I’d come to terms with the fact that I would never be able to do a degree, or something that’s properly brainy.’

But she had started taking an interest in her mum’s career as a private chef and caterer.

‘One of the therapists I was seeing told me it would be really beneficial to find a hobby. Then I thought, maybe I’ll try and cook something. And I cooked something, and I ate it, and I was just like, this is the best day ever.’

 ‘It was the first proper thing I’d been able to do by myself since my stroke. And then I was eating it and I was like, “Oh my God, this is delicious. And I did that all by myself.”‘

She began to cook, birthday cakes for her brothers, family invited round, and she also loved watching Bake Off with her mum. During one episode, Marsha pointed out that Prue Leith, one of the judges, founded a cookery school in London.

The whole family, Katya, mum, dad and her brothers, came to Leiths Culinary School for a tour.

‘We came out and it was just a no-brainer,’ says Marsha. ‘I can’t explain why. We all just felt it.’

‘My little brother is not really fussed about anything,’ says Katya, ‘but he was there when we went to look around Leiths for the first time, and when we walked out even he was like, “Oh my God, you really need to go there. That place looks amazing.”‘

Katya waited for a year until she felt ready to begin the Culinary Diploma. ‘We signed up and we have not looked back,’ says Marsha. ‘It has been fantastic.’ She was learning a huge amount and loving it, while dealing with a move to London. ‘It was constant loud noises, shouting, sirens. I was just so overwhelmed. Definitely more than once a week, I would have to leave the demos or leave the cooks because I’d be having a panic attack.’

She credits her teacher Caz with supporting her through the course. ‘I honestly don’t think I would have been able to do it without her. She is the most amazing person ever. All the other teachers are absolutely wonderful, but she just got me.’

For Marsha, this was the part that exceeded everything. ‘There could not have been a more helpful and nurturing environment. Not just the exceptional training and the qualification, but the support from Caz throughout the year, which has been literally life-changing for Katya.’ Venturing out on her own for the first time since the stroke had brought up much that was still unresolved, and Marsha had realised her daughter’s recovery was very much still in motion. ‘Caz completely stepped up to the mark, and knowing Katya was in such good and caring hands was so much more than I imagined was even possible. For Katya it has been momentous.’

Katya never once considered stopping. ‘My mum was saying that I survived my stroke because of my strong will. I’d say it’s more that I’m stubborn.’

‘Sometimes I’d come home after a day at Leiths and I would just have to tell myself, it’s a hard day, but you’re working towards a time when this won’t be difficult for you to go through, and you’ll actually be able to move on with your life. You won’t have to always be like, “Oh, I do this because of my stroke.” But now I can say that I have done this for myself, and I can actually do it.’

 The session she comes back to as a moment she realised she was really making progress was a shortcrust pastry day. ‘I’ve always been most interested in pastry.’ The teachers had told the group the pastry needed to be three millimetres thick, and one of them went round cutting open each chocolate tart and measuring it. ‘She turned to me and she said, “Katya, you’ve got it bang on three millimetres.” And I was just like, “Oh my God, I’ve done that.”‘

She went on to pass every exam, and is now ready to start a career in food.

‘Going to Leiths has been the most beneficial and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I couldn’t even take the dogs for a five-minute walk without my mum, and this was at the age of twenty. And then I moved to London, and I managed to build the confidence to live alone and meet new people and build on my skills. Literally everything in my life has improved since Leiths.’

Her mother is unequivocal about what the year has given Katya. ‘I can honestly say that, thanks to the amazing teaching and wonderful support throughout the year, Katya has grown enormously. She has gained confidence, a prestigious qualification, a dream job and the continued support of her Leiths family. I truly could not be happier or more grateful.’such a long way. People really see it when someone is genuinely interested.’

If you’re interested in doing the Leiths Culinary Diploma like Katya did, find out more here.