Bernice Kariuki Narrates How Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Helped Her Land Her Dream Job at Arsenal

A chance meeting with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who said her dish reminded him of his mother's cooking, set Bernice Kariuki on the path to her dream job at Arsenal.

Former Arsenal chef Bernice Kariuki has revealed how she met Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and how the Gabon striker changed her life.

Bernice Kariuki is famously known for being the first-team private chef for Arsenal Football Club, having joined the club in mid-2021, revealed that the journey to the Emirates was not easy.

Her role at Arsenal involved cooking exclusively for the first-team players, the management team, and the technical bench. She also managed the daily well-being and nutrition of the team before and after matches, including curating menus for them while travelling.

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Bernice Kariuki secured the job after a chance encounter with then-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at a Christmas party, where he was impressed by her Kenyan-inspired pilau. She left her role in mid-2023 after two years.

Bernice Kariuki Reveals Special Encounter with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Bernice Kariuki explained that her journey to Arsenal did not happen right away. She had spent three years at the Dorchester Hotel, a place she described as the worst, yet the best, hotel in the world.

She clarified that she had been 'kicked out' of the hotel because she had outgrown the establishment.

Having mastered all the menus, including canapés and high tea, the chef recognised her talent and told her she was ready for a new challenge.

Bernice Kariuki elaborated that her description of the Dorchester stemmed from the intense and unpredictable workload. She also pointed out a memorable detail about the high-end nature of the hotel, noting that a cup of tea cost £50.

“So the journey to Arsenal took a while to get there. So, I stayed in the hotel for 3 years, and then I was kicked out. Not in a bad way, in a good way. It's because I had outgrown the place. I knew all the menus. So the chef was like, ‘I've trained you to do all the canopies, the high tea afternoons,” she said on Dr Ofweneke TV.

“You can cook, and I think you're ready to go to the next challenge and fly away. And this was the worst hotel in the world, but the best hotel in the world.

“I say it's the worst hotel in the world, where the workload is that you start at 7:00, and you don't know what time you finish. And this is the Dorchester hotel. A cup of tea is £50.”

Bernice Kariuki recounted that she had once attended a penthouse gathering often frequented by football players and their companions, where she happened to meet Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

She explained that, having been trained by an Indian chef in preparing lamb dishes and biryani, she had been tasked with cooking that day.

When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inquired about who had made the meal, she initially feared there was a problem, thinking his reaction might be negative, as people often assume the worst.

“This is where all the footballers go with their girls, wives, side chicks and whoever. I didn't say, but this is where they go, I presume. There was a party in a penthouse, and I happened to meet Aubameyang,” she added.

“I was trained by an Indian chef to cook lambuna, that's lamb with rice and also how to make the best biryani. This time around, I was given that role to make it and my God, the guy was like, ‘Who made this biryani?’ and they said, ‘Why is there anything wrong? So all the blame was coming to me, the guy is not happy, you see the way we are as negative in life.”

Bernice Kariuki added that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had asked to meet the person who prepared the rice, and she went expecting to apologise for a mistake.

To her surprise, he praised her cooking, saying it reminded him of his mother’s, and offered her a position as his personal chef on the spot.

Bernice Kariuki accepted the offer immediately, explaining that at the time she had been struggling financially and feeling disheartened, working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

“And he said he wanted to see the person who cooked the rice. So, I was called and I was going to apologise for doing something wrong, but he said the only person who nailed that right the way I did was his mother,” she added.

“Thank you very much. ‘Do you want to be my personal assistant chef?’ And I said yes. And I took the job there and there.

“I didn't know. And I was not interested because I was so depressed there. After all, the money was not enough. I was doing other jobs.”

Before her time at Arsenal, Bernice Kariuki gained experience working as a chef for renowned London hotels such as The Lanesborough, The Dorchester, and The Waldorf Hilton.