I remember walking into the kitchen for the first time and struggling to grasp its enormity. How could everything run so smoothly with so many people, so many moving parts?

Day by day, I learned the ropes, moving from one section of the kitchen to another and acquiring new skills. I loved the pastry station most. There was so much room for imagination and creativity; it was like creating works of art.

In 1996, dnata approached me and offered me a role at the company’s catering facility in Bucharest, Romania. I worked there for nearly two decades before returning to the United Arab Emirates to oversee our kitchen in Sharjah, near Dubai.

Since that time, our business has grown rapidly. In 2015 we were making around 5,000 meals per day. Now we are approaching 20,000 – not just for airlines, but also for airport food outlets, corporate events and Dubai’s famous desert safari tours. Our kitchen never sleeps, with culinary teams at work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I oversee 120 staff and it is very important to me that each and every person feels valued and appreciated. I encourage everyone to speak up and give their opinion – from the most junior apprentice to our senior sous-chefs. Every time we develop a new menu, we have an open and honest discussion about what works, what doesn’t and how we can do things differently.

When people feel part of the decision-making process in this way, they realise they’re not simply a ‘cog in the machine’. They matter. And if they love what they’re doing, they’ll do it with love.

Of course, maintaining this human-centred approach becomes more and more challenging as our business expands. Fortunately, I relish a challenge; it’s one of the reasons I enjoy inflight catering so much.

Was my father right?

Of course. This career is not an easy one. But chefs aren’t looking for easy. We are a different breed; thriving on adrenaline, experimentation and the thrill of creating meals for others to enjoy. Cooking feeds our souls in a way few other professions ever could. After 27 years in this business, I can confidently say I have no regrets.