Alumna Danijela Armitage
Diploma in Gastronomy Nutrition and Food Trends
Danijela combines her love of nutrition and food together in the digital platform Nourish & Tempt, where she showcases nutritionally considered recipes. We recently caught up with her to find out about her culinary journey so far.
When did you first realise you wanted to work with food?
"Food has always been an innate interest, passively encouraged by my home environment. I grew up in a household where we’d come together over food and there was always a tub of home baking to nibble on. I have memories of my grandparents growing most of the produce they’d eat and enjoyed seeing them proudly show off their harvests. In my teenage years I became wildly fascinated with the nutritional side of food and decided to study nutrition as it merged the two worlds - nutrition and food - together."
Why did you choose to come to Le Cordon Bleu London?
"After a few years in the workforce I had a desire to deepen my culinary knowledge. As a nutritionist, I knew if I could get a client trying something new in the kitchen - and enjoying it - then that’s a gateway to better nutrition.
Le Cordon Bleu was my dream school to pursue further education in this space - its reputation is simply world class. Funnily, I remember still being in high school and browsing the Le Cordon Bleu website for fun and thinking how I’d love to study there one day!
When I saw the Diploma in Gastronomy, Nutrition & Food Trends available, it felt like all the stars aligned. Being able to explore gastronomy through practical culinary skills, while alongside principals of nutrition, was the perfect fit."
How did your culinary training studying at Le Cordon Bleu London help you to start your career?
"It strongly increased my confidence and knowledge in the kitchen, which has taken my business to new heights. Nutrition in the kitchen can sometimes get a bad rap, but the ideologies and techniques we explored positively challenged this. I remember thinking ‘how is this truly free from, yet it tastes this good?!’.
Being a member of the Le Cordon Bleu alumni is a wonderful and supportive network to be a part of. I’m blown away by the talent."
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your footsteps?
"I travelled across the world - from Auckland to London - to study at Le Cordon Bleu. Our class was really diverse in nationalities, so I wasn’t the only one venturing afar. In reflection, it was truly one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences. From the course quality to the friends (some I’m still so close with today) to the magic of the city itself. I would do it again in a heartbeat."
What does Le Cordon Bleu represent for you in a few words?
"Innovative, yet traditional. The best of the best."
How would you describe your current role?
"Nourish & Tempt is a digital platform encouraging curiosity, fun and good health in the kitchen. Here I share nutritionally considered recipe ideas that are suitable and adjustable to a broad range of dietary preferences. All recipes are run through a nutritional lens - for example, if a breakfast recipe is touted as being high protein, it will have a nutritional analysis done to ensure I can say that."
What does your day-to-day look like?
"A day working on Nourish & Tempt predominately centres on recipe development, food styling, photography and writing, whether for the website or companies Nourish & Tempt is contracting to. All creative is currently done in-house - I write, shoot and edit all content."
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
"Content creation requires ongoing creative work, which can have peaks and troughs. Some weeks - for whatever reason - you have a string of recipes that don’t go well, and it can be a tough slog. It’s all a journey though - some of the most successful recipes on the website were a result of numerous attempts, with each iteration having me re-tweak culinary technique."
What is your inspiration?
"There’s inspiration everywhere - in travels, dining out, the online world and so much more. I’m particularly inspired by fresh high quality ingredients - at their peak, they’re so flavourful and packed with nutrition. Quality ingredients are a joy to work with in the kitchen."
What part of the role are you most passionate about?
"The educational side, whether that’s someone learning something new about nutrition or practising a new culinary skill in the kitchen. If I can connect with someone through my writing or recipes and nudge them towards a way of eating that may better support their health and the planet, then this makes me really happy."
How did you get into this role?
"It started as a hobby and evolved into a business. It was very organic - companies began approaching Nourish & Tempt for creative work, which made it more sustainable."
What are your plans for the future?
"I’d love to continue to expand Nourish & Tempt to become a destination for nutritious, but delicious, recipe ideas that are reliable and educational. Nourish & Tempt is shortly venturing into the realm of selling digital products, centred on practical nutrition principles in the kitchen, which is an exciting evolution and next step!"
Do you have any final words of advice?
"Like anything, confidence in the kitchen is a skill that you build as time goes on. Enjoy the journey and have fun - no matter whether you’re frying an egg or making a soufflé."
Inspired by Danijela's journey? Find out how you can follow in her footsteps by finding out more about our Diploma in Gastronomy, Nutrition and Food Trends, or by visiting our programmes page to view the full list of courses available and start your culinary journey today.
