Q&A with Crystelle Pereira, Author of Flavour Kitchen and Finalist on The Great British Bake Off

Crystelle Pereira is the author of Flavour Kitchen and a finalist on The Great British Bake Off. Crystelle worked at Goldman Sachs from 2018 to 2022 in Asset and Wealth Management in London.

1. How did you start your career at Goldman Sachs and what was your path at the firm? What did you learn during your time here that helped you in the next phase(s) of your career?
My first ever interaction with the firm was at a Community Teamworks day that I attended whilst I was still at university, back in 2014. The following day, I received a call from someone in HCM who I had spoken to, who encouraged me to apply for the spring internship which was such a pleasant surprise. I proceeded to complete the Spring internship the following year in the Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) UK Institutional Sales team and was invited back to complete a summer internship in the GSAM UK Insurance Sales team, after which I was offered a full-time position on that team. I worked in GSAM Insurance for four and a half years and was promoted to associate within my last year. 

My time at GS taught me so many invaluable skills that have been incredibly helpful in everything that I do now. Working in a high-pressured environment, meeting tight deadlines in a short period of time, communicating with clients and building strong relationships are all such transferrable skills, and ones that have been useful not only in my new career, but also during my stressful time in the British Bake Off tent!

Within my role at GS, building a strong network with clients was key, which also transfers to my new career. I’ve learnt that a strong network is so important to build a presence and personal brand. I credit my confident networking skills to my time at GS, which has been a huge help at the many events that I attend.

2. After you left the firm, you became a finalist on The Great British Bake Off in 2021, a British television baking competition. Tell us about what inspired you to start baking and about your experience on the show.
Baking was relatively new to me; I started baking very basic cakes about four years ago, but it took off when my family got me my first stand mixer for my 25th birthday. I have, however, been cooking from a young age. I started watching my mum in the kitchen when I was six years old and gradually learnt how to cook as I grew older, which naturally expanded to baking. I’ve always been fascinated by food and flavours – my nickname when I was young was ‘Chutney Mary’ because I always opted for the spicy chutneys and curries instead of the kids food!

Taking part in The Great British Bake Off was, hands down, the best experience of my life so far. I’ve watched the show for years – so to suddenly be a part of it felt like the most surreal, immersive experience. I like to describe my experience as ‘part intensive baking camp, part holiday’. Some moments felt very intense, with long (and difficult) baking challenges, whilst other times felt like we were in a surreal holiday land, with Paul Hollywood making pizzas for dinner or Noel Fielding hosting a party. I don’t think I will ever experience anything like that again. I loved every minute of it – I was running on adrenaline the whole time and will never forget the feeling of waking up every morning to see a white tent from my hotel window!

3. You also recently published your first cookbook, titled Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists. How do you differentiate your book from other cookbooks and how do you market it broadly? 
Flavour Kitchen, US and UK, is a collection of my favourite flavour-packed recipes for every time of day and shows how a few simple ingredients can elevate your dishes into something vibrant, bold and exciting with minimal effort. 

Any time I cook, bake, or choose an item from a menu, I always choose something unique that has an interesting flavour combination and may be somewhat unconventional. As a result, I wanted my book to encourage readers to push the boat out with their flavours and show that it is not daunting. We are so fortunate that we have incredible ingredients at our disposal and this book teaches how versatile those ingredients are. 

Originality is important to me; I wanted every recipe and idea to be unique if I decided to bring a new cookbook into the world. This book brings you original, creative dishes that will hopefully ‘wow’ you and your dinner party guests and make you think ‘wow I never thought to add those flavours together but they work, and I’m going to do that again’!

The book is divided into two halves, sweet and savoury, and has a mixture of cooking and baking recipes, including breakfast, comfort food and curries, zingy salads, party food, showstopping cakes and easy traybakes. All of the flavours are inspired by my travels around the world and by my Goan heritage, with lots of spins on classic recipes. For example, instead of sausage rolls we have hoisin duck sausage rolls, instead of flapjacks, we have baklava inspired flapjacks and there’s even lamb shawarma loaded fries!

4. What are your future aspirations, both personally and professionally?
Writing my first book was one of the highlights of my career and I would love to continue writing and forming my own collection one day. I would absolutely love to showcase more Portuguese-Goan cuisine since that is something I genuinely love and am so passionate about. India is a huge country and I don’t think we appreciate how much the cuisine varies as you travel between different states and cities. I also love trying different cuisines and experimenting with my flavours, so it would be amazing to travel the world, try new foods, and document the whole journey. Aside from that, I would like to continue building my personal brand and become a more familiar, well-known face in the industry. 

5. What advice do you have for others who are interested in pivoting their careers?
Don’t underestimate a ‘side hustle’ or a ‘passion project’. If there is something you genuinely love and are passionate about, there is no reason why you can’t turn that into your full-time job. Of course, be practical about it, and never blindly walk into something without considering the challenges and making sure it can grow into something commercial. 

It is important to remember that if you ever want to pivot your career, your time spent in your previous job is never wasted. I learnt so much during my time at GS and would never change it for a thing. GS gave me such a strong foundation for this new career.

I think it is important to accept that it may not be easy. Going from a steady job with a monthly income to becoming self-employed was definitely a big shift. You have to be prepared to deal with changes in your routine, lifestyle and working habits, but I believe that if you have a true passion for something, you will have enough drive to make it work. 

6. Have you leveraged your GS network since leaving the firm? If so, how?
Yes of course, I could never leave my GS network behind! Funnily enough, I recently co-presented a show with a good friend of my old manager. I have also been in touch with several old colleagues who have been so helpful in giving me advice in terms of managing and navigating my new career. It has been fulfilling to catch-up with old colleagues who have also left the firm and to see how we have gone our separate ways, but still have so much in common thanks to our time at GS.