Our Story

Jessica’s passion for cooking began at a very young age, helping her grandmother and great-grandmother in the kitchen, where everything was made from scratch and food was woven into family life. Those early memories sparked a love of flavour, tradition and hospitality that has shaped her career ever since.

 

At just fourteen, she launched her first business selling cupcakes at local farmers’ markets, and by sixteen she had left home to attend culinary school, gaining a Cordon Bleu diploma and a Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts.

 

After graduating, Jessica worked at the London Olympics, where she was the only female chef in the kitchen, cooking for high-profile clients in a fast-paced, prestigious environment. This experience cemented her ability to perform at the highest level under pressure, delivering excellence with confidence and precision.

 

She later worked as a head chef in France during a ski season, until an accident forced her to step away from the kitchen for a time. Never one to stand still, she moved to Germany, where she unexpectedly found herself selling cars to the US military, an experience that developed her customer service skills, commercial understanding and resilience.

 

Returning to the UK just before the pandemic, Jessica took on the management of a local business, leading it through Covid and playing a pivotal role in its expansion and significant increase in sales.

 

Now, with a renewed passion for cooking and a wealth of experience both inside and outside the kitchen, Jessica brings a unique blend of culinary artistry, business insight and hospitality expertise to Damson & Clover a new chapter shaped by resilience, experience and a little Irish luck, shared through elegant dining and meaningful hospitality.