When I was young, I worked in my family business. I started to cook early because my older brother was a Chef, and I was watching TV shows; that was my inspiration. My first job was in restaurants, and then I managed groups of a few thousand people and learned how to handle large numbers of people. 

That helped me find my way to hotels because I thought I wouldn’t be able to use my knowledge and experience in small restaurants. I started with Vienna International Hotels in my hometown, Łódź. Then I moved to Katowice before working in resorts in southern Poland, the north of the country, and then returning to the south and large resorts. 

In 2022, I went to the States and worked at Marriott Times Square in New York. Then I got involved in eco projects because Marriott had a farm where they raised geese and chickens and grew vegetables. 

I enjoy big projects; they are demanding and stimulating—I don’t like a quiet life! I gained a lot of experience when I was responsible for huge sports programmes in Poland, like the European Championships, producing 10,000 or 15,000 meals a day for 20 days. 

In February, I had an interview with the F&B director at Mercure Szczyrk Resort for a role on the opening team, and he convinced me to come back here from the States; we have known each other for a while. 

Accor is a huge company with many projects, and I love that. In 2016, I worked for Sofitel for three years in Wrocław as Executive Chef, and Accor gave me many breaks and challenges; you can move your career forward. I like the company’s philosophy and its approach to guests and employees; it didn’t take much to persuade me to help open our beautiful resort! 

Hospitality gives young people the opportunity to meet people, and it challenges them. It is a dynamic sector, and that is very important; it allows creativity, gives the ability to follow the latest trends in the market, and it is not prescriptive. Life in hospitality is not boring—there is something different every day. I have a lot of young people in the kitchen and many nationalities because, like the world over, it’s difficult to find good professional cooks in Poland, so we train them to become good Chefs. 

Anyone who takes the first steps in hospitality and stays for a year will stay forever—it becomes a way of life! 

Being a Heartist® is, first, to do the best you can, to be fully engaged with every project, and to live the Accor philosophy—to be a warm host for guests and employees. 

Every year in hospitality is a great year, with the chance to improve. I am proudest of my kitchen life in New York, the opening of this Mercure Szczyrk Resort, and working at the European Universities Games. New York was unusual because I hadn’t worked outside Poland before, except for a short time in England; there was a different working culture, and I was able to develop a new cuisine, which is why New York and the States have a special place in my heart. 

Poland hosted the European Universities Games in 2021, and I catered for up to 5,000 people—lunches and dinners for participants over 20 days—and that is a great achievement, too. 

First, I suggest newcomers be patient, humble, and open to new ideas and difficulties. Accor is a good employer because it allows new people to progress their careers in hotels worldwide. I strongly recommend Accor to new arrivals in hospitality because the company gives people so much opportunity and supports a good work–life balance—it’s a great company culture.