Bernice Kariuki, a Nairobi-born chef, has offered an exclusive look into the nutritional strategies she implemented for Arsenal Football Club’s first-team players during her tenure as their private chef from mid-2021.

Speaking on a podcast, Kariuki detailed how carefully structured meals supported the players’ performance and recovery throughout the Premier League seasons.

According to Kariuki, Arsenal players followed a protein-centric breakfast routine designed to maintain muscle strength while limiting carbohydrates on non-match days.

“The Arsenal players have a standard breakfast composed of three eggs and avocado, because you need proteins, they do not do a lot of carbohydrates until a day before the match,” she explained.

The strategy shifts the day before matches, with carbohydrate-rich meals such as pizza and chips to maximise energy storage for match-day performance.

“On a designated carbohydrate day, just one day before the match, they eat foods like chips and pizza to store energy for the game.”

This approach, Kariuki noted, balanced physical readiness with digestive comfort, enabling players to maintain peak performance.

Culinary journey

Kariuki’s path to international sports nutrition began in Nairobi’s Jericho Estate, where she learned to cook with local ingredients like sukuma wiki and matoke under the guidance of her family.

She later moved to London to train at Westminster Kingsway College, gaining expertise in kitchen management and international cuisine.

Her early professional experience included roles at London hotels such as The Lanesborough, The Dorchester, and The Waldorf Hilton, where she refined her culinary skills and developed a style blending classical and modern techniques.

From Arsenal to Formula One

Kariuki’s talent led to her appointment as Arsenal’s first-team chef after a chance encounter with former striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2021.

She was hired after a chance meeting at a Christmas party with then-Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was impressed by her Kenyan-inspired pilau. 

At Arsenal’s London Colney training ground, Kariuki’s responsibilities extended beyond just cooking; she collaborated closely with nutritionists and sports scientists to create specialised menus that optimised player performance. 

At the club’s London Colney training ground, she collaborated with nutritionists and sports scientists to design menus that enhanced both performance and recovery.

Since leaving Arsenal in mid-2023, Kariuki continued to make international strides, preparing pre-race meals for Formula One legend Sir Lewis Hamilton in 2025 at the Silverstone Grand Prix, working alongside Scuderia Ferrari’s nutrition team.

Kariuki’s story illustrates the global reach of Kenyan culinary talent, highlighting how expertise and innovation can create opportunities in elite sports environments.

Her work bridges cultural heritage with high-performance nutrition, showcasing Nairobi’s influence on the international culinary stage.