“My parents wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer.”
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- Jerome Shachika Maha Bamunuge
You can tell when someone has landed exactly where they belong. That’s Jerome.
He moves naturally between the buffet, the kitchen and the guests. The pace is fast. Expectations are high. But where Jerome goes, he brings calm, humor and a positive atmosphere with him.
Jerome works as a Sous Chef at AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen, with responsibility for both breakfast service and the conference kitchen. For him, this isn’t just about operations. It’s about relationships. Atmosphere. Energy.
“When the team feels good, the guests feel it too,” he says. And he’s right.
Jerome was born and raised in France, with roots in Sri Lanka. At home, two cultures met - two different ways of seeing the world.
“My parents wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer,” he explains. It was the safe path. The ambitious path. The respected path. But Jerome chose differently.
Early on, he realized that his passion wasn’t just food - it was people. Service. Interaction with guests.
“I don’t want to stay hidden in the back of the kitchen,” he says: “I want to meet the people we’re cooking for.”
“When the team feels good, the guests feel it too.”
At Bellagroup, he found exactly that combination: professional craftsmanship paired with presence.
Challenging his parents’ cultural expectations took time. But gradually, their perspective changed. They saw his development. His responsibility. His pride in the work. And his commitment.
“Now they understand,” he says: “That you can be ambitious and deeply engaged in the kitchen - if you love what you do.”
That belief shapes the way Jerome leads today.
When he hires, he doesn’t start with the CV. He starts with the person.
“I’d rather hire someone who cares about the team than someone who’s worked at the most prestigious restaurants,” he says. Skills can be learned. Attitude can’t. That’s why he builds his team around energy, curiosity and a genuine desire to make each other better.
“My parents wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer. Now they understand that you can be ambitious and deeply engaged in the kitchen - if you love what you do.”
Jerome is clear in his expectations, but gentle in his approach. He translates demands from above into something the team can act on - without breaking the mood.
“I can’t just give orders,” he says: “I need to communicate to get people onboard.”
And he does. With humor. With presence. With trust.
“I’d rather hire someone who cares about the team than someone who’s worked at the most prestigious restaurants.”
Hotellets morgenmadsbuffet er hans stolthed – til en grad, hvor Jerome omtaler den sit barn. Og den er et klokkeklart produkt af lige del ansvar, frihed og kreativitet. For gennem årene har Jerome præget den med alt det, der er ham; fuld af detaljer, variation og personlighed. Der er både plads til leg, udvikling og små ændringer, der gør, at det ikke føles ens hver dag – hverken for gæsten eller hans team.
“Hvis vi har mange indiske gæster, laver jeg f.eks. poha. Hvis vi har mange kinesere, sætter jeg congee på menuen. Og sådan kunne jeg blive ved,” fortæller han. En lille gestus med stor betydning.
“I don’t want to stay hidden in the back of the kitchen. I want to meet the people we’re cooking for.”
Når gæster skriver hans navn i feedback – eller kommer tilbage og hilser – bliver han oprigtigt glad. Ikke for anerkendelsens skyld, men fordi det bekræfter, at relationen virker og at han er endt lige der, hvor han ønskede at være. Og den tro – på mennesker, på fællesskab og på glæden ved faget – er svær ikke at blive smittet af.
