Meik G Brammer
Executive chef, Marriott Grand Ballroom at Marriott Hotel Manila

How did you find your way in the industry?

I started 23 years ago when I was 16. I did not do very well in school and my father asked me to either return to school and get better grades or get out of the house. I chose the latter. I knocked on the doors of 50 hotels in Germany to work as chef, with no luck.

At the 51^st hotel, the Renaissance Zurich in Switzerland, executive chef Andre Freudiger hesitated due to my lack of experience and training. I told him I would go to Austria and continue applying until I got the job. Because of my perseverance, Freudiger took me in, let me stay in his home and gave me a three-year apprenticeship.

What are your career achievements to date?

At 28, I became the executive chef of Marriott Hua Hin, the youngest to have become one in the Marriott hotels. Also, in 2015, I was voted the best chef among the more than 3,000 Marriott hotels around the world.

What do you like most about your job?

The feeling of creating something that people come here for and are willing to pay for.

What about your job keep you awake at night?

Deciding every year who gets promoted, knowing that it will mean a huge jump in their income and can change their life and that of their whole family. (Note: Marriott Manila and Marriott Grand Ballroom have 100 chefs and the number can reach up to 400 during high season)

Your advice to those looking to join the industry and achieve success?

Believe in yourself and in your goals: don’t change your goals, listen to your heart. I am a living example that goals are attainable with perseverance and a never say never attitude.

Don’t be self-centered: not everything is about you. You need a lot of people for help so listen carefully and listen to the culture of the country where you are working.

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