From Star Chef to Production Employee
Portrait of Marcin Paciorkowski
Marcin Paciorkowski is passionate about a lot of things: Cooking and fishing are just two of them. He loves spending time with his family. "A person without passions and interests can’t function properly. After work, you need to switch off” says Marcin.
Marcin and his family live in a house in the country near Mszczonów. He’s a big fan of nature. “My life has changed drastically. For more than 20 years, I worked in hospitality, which was my great passion. But a key moment made me turn my life around from one day to the next,” says the 39-year old.
Marcin graduated from one of the best restaurant schools in the world, Eugeniusz Pijanowski in Warsaw. His main specialty was culinary technology. On average, 26 people apply for each place at the school. Marcin was accepted. After graduating, he worked in various hotels including the Sheraton, the Bristol, and Le Regina. He worked with famous chefs such as Amaro, Kurt Scheller, Karol Okrasa, and Gessler. Cooking was his passion from a very young age, and he completely devoted himself to it. “I remember that the first Christmas present I asked for was a baking set with a rolling pin and little baking tins. At eight years old, I started cooking for the whole family. At the supermarket, I would choose the ingredients myself,” says Marcin.
All his passion, talent, and hard work led to huge success. Marcin cooked for Poland’s high society. He spent nine years as Head Chef at Stacja Kultury and was in charge of four departments with 12 employees. “What’s so satisfying and drives you on is pleasing your guests and feeling their appreciation. When at a banquet you’re asked into the dining hall and you get a standing ovation, that’s really quite something!” he says.Marcin was always happy doing what he loved. It was never about the money. He was able to put together a fantastic team. He infected the others with his passion and ambition. All this led to huge success. Marcin believes the basis for this was team spirit.
But working in hospitality also has its dark side. Strict regulations, constant staff shortages, massive responsibility weighed on Marcin’s shoulders. He worked under extreme pressure and never had a free weekend. “I worked 12 to 17-hour days and had one or two days off a month. Worst of all, even when I was off, I was constantly thinking about work. It was incredibly stressful, but also an adrenalin kick that was hard to shake off. I was addicted to my job and the recognition it gave me,” says Marcin.
One day Marcin came home shortly after 11 at night. His little daughter was still awake and waiting for him. She ran up to him and asked: “Daddy, will you come and visit us sometimes?” “I was totally shocked. What she said was devastating. It felt like somebody had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over me. At that moment I decided to completely turn my life around,” says Marcin, visibly emotional at the memory.
Next day, a friend who was also a chef recommended he apply for a job at IGP. Then things happened very quickly. Marcin quit his job as a top chef and joined IGP as a production employee. That was two years ago. “I stopped pretending to myself that what I was doing was best for my family. At the time, I’d seen myself as the victim of the situation. Suddenly I realized that my loved ones were suffering the most. I couldn’t carry on like that. I didn’t want to lose my family,” says Marcin. His life changed dramatically. He made a full U-turn. And he’s never looked back. Marcin won back his family, his children, and his wife – and also found himself again. Now he has time for his family and hobbies.
“I realized it’s not a job that defines us, but our attitude to work and responsibility, and our values,” says Marcin. However, Marcin hasn’t lost his passion for perfection and top performance. On Line 6 in the production shop, he set a production rate record that still stands to this day.
