Marcella Smith does not hesitate when she speaks about leading a kitchen, an industry still largely dominated by men.
She had to learn how to stand her ground, first in Bermuda and then in the UK, where she is executive head chef at Three Little Birds in Leicester.
“The biggest advice I would give is stand up for yourself – 100 per cent stand up for yourself – in the kitchen area as it’s definitely a male-dominated field,” she said.
“I knew from the beginning I had to be one of the boys and it’s hard work. It’s not an easy job to do.”
That mindset has shaped her career both in Bermuda and now in the UK. Since moving there she has worked with Michelin-star chef John Duffin, been a research and development chef at the Toro’s Steakhouse chain, tried her hand in a smoke pit and led her own Caribbean eatery, Gwan Easy.
More recently, she has been putting her stamp on the dishes at Three Little Birds, the restaurant she joined in August.
Customers there can try a Trinidadian hot sauce, Bajan saltfish fritters, and “an island-style fish and chips” similar to the type served here. Unlike the traditional British version, which typically uses cod or haddock, her take draws on warm-water fish more familiar in Bermuda: snapper, grouper and wahoo.
That influence also shows up in familiar comfort food, prepared the way she learnt at home.
“I make my macaroni how I make it in Bermuda at the restaurant. I’ll use red Leicester cheese instead of our sharp yellow cheddar that we have,” Ms Smith said.
“However, I try to get it as much as possible as the way we do it. I add a little tomato sauce to it and so forth. They’re small things however, they make a huge impact on the dishes.”
Island touch
Her approach reflects the balance she has had to strike while finding ways to introduce Bermudian flavours to diners accustomed to global cuisine.
“I had to mix it or fuse it with Indian or Asian, something to get the consumers’ attention,” said the chef. “They’re used to seeing absolutely every type of food possible in this country, it’s very hard to convince them of something that’s new or different.”
For that reason, she has not yet added codfish to her breakfast menu. When she does, it will likely be introduced alongside ackee and saltfish as part of a gradual roll-out.
Three Little Birds blends Caribbean cuisine with music culture, hosting R&B and reggae brunches and vinyl sessions on Sundays. The concept stems from the background of the restaurant’s owner, who also operates one of Leicester’s largest nightclubs, as well as ventures in radio and music production.
“We’re pretty busy, we’re sold out on weekends, and it’s early in the year,” Ms Smith said.
“It’s that Bermuda spirit. At every restaurant that I’ve worked at here in the UK, I’ve just excelled with that: being able to get people to come in and enjoy the food. They think it’s really, really good. They’ve never had food like it before, that type of experience.”
In 2021, she left Bermuda with her children in search of broader educational opportunities in the UK. Professionally, the move accelerated her career.
“I’ve just kept learning. That was my biggest thing: keep moving on, take all the information you can possibly learn out here so that you’re ready when you want to come back home.”
Those experiences also placed her in positions where she had to assert authority over male colleagues, something she says was not always easy.
As a research and development chef, she had to train men.
“It was kind of hard, but then they ended up having a lot of respect for me, because I don’t play in the kitchen,” she said.
“I told them how it was going to go, and if they didn’t want to comply, then they could leave. It was up to them, but I was their boss.”
Bermuda dream
She credits her experience in Bermuda with helping establish her credibility when she arrived in the UK.
“I was fortunate to come out here with an amazing resume from Bermuda that basically gave me a platform to have a voice in the kitchen,” said the chef, who worked at The White Horse and the Newport Room at the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda.
While she encourages women entering the industry to be assertive, she also stresses the importance of maintaining individuality.
“But don’t lose your femininity in the kitchen because you end up being one of the guys,” she said. “What I always tell my female chefs is to remain as beautiful as possible in the kitchen regardless of how tough things are or how messy the work can get. As female chefs, we often forget that. We just go into the kitchen and work really hard, and you can get lost in that.”
The possibility of returning to Bermuda remains a strong pull, particularly following the passing of a chef she describes as deeply influential.
“The loss of my favourite chef, Daamian Simmons, was a hard miss for me,” she said. “He was very influential in making sure that Bermuda chefs stood out and showing people that we can do the same thing as everyone else. So he is a huge miss.”
Recent visits home have reinforced her sense that she could contribute new ideas to the local culinary scene.
“I’m considering coming back just for a couple of months to show chefs something different.”
She began studying culinary arts online while working full-time as a chef and raising her children but eventually had to step away from the programme. Much of what she learnt came from her experience in the kitchen.
“So going to culinary arts school is amazing but I feel if you really want to be a chef, you have to be passionate from the beginning,” Ms Smith said.
Her motivation remains rooted in the connection between food and the people who enjoy it.
“It’s really about the love of food and the hospitality industry and making people happy. Just the satisfaction of having a customer who’s worked all day or worked all week, come to your restaurant and enjoy your food – that’s the biggest accomplishment for me.”
