We’re proud to partner with London-based social enterprise Fat Macy’s to support their training programme at one of our client sites. This collaboration provides trainees living in temporary accommodation with valuable experience in hospitality and catering at our premises, without affecting their benefits. In addition, profits generated from the programme help fund a deposit scheme to support trainees into stable housing.
This initiative aligns with our wider commitment to delivering positive social impact and contributing to meaningful change in the communities where we operate. Once a trainee completes 200 hours of training, they become eligible for grants – including financial support towards a rental deposit.
We’re delighted to congratulate Prince Agaba, a recent Fat Macy’s graduate!
Prince has completed his 200-hour training programme and has now joined Lexington, taking up a role as commis chef at one of our central London sites. During his training, Prince completed a portion of his hours at our Fat Macy’s café located within our leading financial services client’s offices in Marylebone.
Fat Macy’s shared the following about Prince: “We’ve really admired Prince’s determination and his openness to learning and development. It’s been a pleasure watching him grow in confidence – both in his technical skills and communication. He has been a fantastic student and a real credit to the programme.”
Since joining Lexington, Prince has settled in well. His manager, Nicole, has commented on how smoothly he has adapted to the role. Prince has expressed that he’s enjoying the new challenges and is looking ahead with ambitions to join the Elior UK chef school.
He’s especially appreciative of the supportive team around him – describing his colleagues as welcoming, encouraging, and enthusiastic about his progress. Prince’s journey began at Fat Macy’s sister restaurant, Sohaila, where he was mentored by Laura Rogan and trained by Head Chef Doug. Since moving to Lexington, he has continued developing his skills under the guidance of our on-site team, including Development Chef Dang Pham.
Dang said: “I’m incredibly proud of Prince’s progress. It’s been brilliant to see how far he’s come, and we’re very pleased to have him as part of the Lexington team.”
Prince continues to receive support from the Fat Macy’s team, who remain committed to helping him succeed.
In his current role, Prince is enjoying the opportunity to take on new responsibilities – including developing his creativity through composite salad design and refining his skills in a busy kitchen environment. Nicole has highlighted how well he is adapting to the pace and demands of a commercial hospitality kitchen.
Outside of work, Prince has a strong interest in culinary exploration, particularly with Caribbean flavours. He enjoys experimenting with high-protein, nutritious meals and has recently set up a food-focused Instagram page to share his latest dishes.
Fat Macy’s is a social enterprise that supports individuals experiencing homelessness to gain employment and build independent lives. Their 200-hour training programme enables participants to develop skills in hospitality and catering without impacting their benefits. All profits from the programme go towards a housing deposit scheme.
On completion, trainees can access grants such as a £1,500 housing deposit grant to help them transition into private rented accommodation. The programme also offers tailored support in employment, wellbeing, and resettlement.
We’d like to thank Prince for sharing his story. We’re proud to support his development at Lexington and can’t wait to see what he does in the future!
