DESPITE the aches, cuts and burns that come along with a career as a professional chef, Sabrina Prendergast has embraced her unexpected but welcomed path as a restaurateur. What began as a chance post on social media, in addition to her love of cooking for friends and family, quickly blossomed into Plates by SAB, a popular culinary establishment. Though presented with obstacles, Prendergast remained steadfast, with a strong personality and the determination to serve up tasty meals.

“Plates by SAB came about as a complete ‘buck-up’. I used to entertain friends at home by having watch parties for sporting events, but instead of ordering fast food, I used to cook for them myself. The food would always win them over and when I’d share the footage on my social media platforms, my notifications would overflow with comments and I’d receive questions like ‘When can I come over for some?’ ‘Can I get a plate?’ and ‘When are you going to open a restaurant?” recalled Prendergast.

Without giving the idea of opening a restaurant much thought, she catered a Mother’s Day dinner and was left with a surplus of food. “I decided I would purchase some boxes and package the leftovers to sell the next day. The dish was a macaroni extravaganza which is an exotic savoury dessert style mac and cheese. It was completely sold-out before the end of lunch time! I was then asked by a number of persons, what would be on the menu tomorrow. Since then, I ran through that open door and decided to open my restaurant,” she explained.

For the new restaurateur, the challenges were many.

“Opening this restaurant was really eye-opening. Though I had my parents’ love and support, I no longer had that cushion as I did in my younger years when everything was my parents’ responsibility. I had to get a grip on the real world. At 21 years old, I became tasked with managing various ongoing expenses and responsibilities. Even cooking for large sums of people at a time sometimes felt daunting. But what I learned is that with endurance, anything is possible — no matter how tired you may be, sometimes you just have to show up and work your hands off. Through consistent prayer, strategic planning and guidance from loved ones, I was able to overcome these challenges,” Prendergast reflected.

Describing herself as confident, passionate, ambitious and talented, Prendergast constantly seeks ways of testing her skills. The 25-year-old chef recently entered and placed second in the Red Stripe-sponsored Grill Boss competition.

“This was my first culinary competition, and it was a phenomenal feeling knowing I was going up against professionals. Though for the past two years we placed first in the competition, I still feel proud of our second place position this year. I did my utmost best with my team, I am proud of our delivery and results and I’m looking forward to my growth and advancement in the food industry being a young, female chef in the game,” Prendergast shared.

With an aim of shooting for the stars, Prendergast credits her strong-willed nature as the driving force pushing her to accomplish her goals.

“I am definitely a competitive person and that’s because I put my all into anything I commit myself to. Some meaningful lessons I have learned are that talent is only a percentage of what it takes to be successful; it takes a lot of hard work. And that the drive to endure builds character, discipline, perseverance, perfection of craft and strength. I’ve also learned that people feel super-connected to you simply from good food or a good customer service experience. When I see the look of delight on my customers’ faces, I feel like I’m serving up a bellyful of happiness.”