Relevant Qualifications
I received a Certificate Of Achievement in CIEH Food Safety Training
In February 2009 through my employer, Red Carnation Hotel Group in London, UK
Tertiary Education
I graduated from Warwick’s Chef School in Hermanus, South Africa in June 2008, after a 6 month full-time training course. After which, I was selected in the ‘Top 3’ and received a one year working permit to London, UK to work within the Red Carnation Hotel Group.
My subjects and final year-end results are as follows:
Subject Result Symbol
Course mark & assignments: 93.34% A, Cake Decorating: 81% A, Theory 1: 99.23% A, (Menu planning, kitchen accounting etc), Theory 2: 96.72% A, (Theory of catering), Practical Exam: 85.29% A
I graduated from Warwick’s Chef School with a Diploma as Commis Chef; a certificate in Food Preparation & Cooking from City & Guilds and a certificate of Unit Credit towards Food Preparation & Cooking from City & Guilds.Warwick’s Chef School expects students to receive a minimum of 60% pass rate. The class average for my intake was: 82.78%.
My final result was: 91.92%
Personal Statement
I am a very hard working, organised, creative and enthusiastic person. I am not afraid of a challenge and always strive to better myself in what-ever task I do. I am passionate about being a chef and a perfectionist in my own right.
Career Summary
At present I have my own coffee shop, Rhubarb & Lime Café in my home town of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. I opened my ‘dream job’ in September 2012, with the help from my father. I currently have 6 employee’s and I am very active within the running’s of my business. I do stock count, ordering, general daily service, all HR (ie staff contracts, payslips etc), basic accounting and bookwork, payments, invoicing, advertising etc
We are a day-time coffee shop/café serving breakfasts, brunches and lunches. We also do a small delivery service to the business’ in and around our area.
We also do after-hour venue hire for external catering, events etc. We also do many organic markets around the Port Elizabeth area.
We have been trading for almost 18 months now and our growth is small but steady.
Previous Employment:
1. Accounts Manager and Shop Assistant at a clothing boutique called House of 25/18 in Park Lane, Port Elizabeth. Here my duties were being in charge of invoicing, stock control, basic accounting, income and expenditure of the business and general shop keeping and assisting. I worked from 9am- 4pm, four times a week, alternating with the owner of House of 25/18. I have gained valued experience in the retail industry, even though this is not the career I chose for myself- I do however enjoy it and love interacting with people.
I currently still help out at House Of 25/18 when needed.
2. Marketing Assistant at Pink Promotion’s in Newton Park, Port Elizabeth. Here my duties were assisting in general setting up of promotions, filing, general receptionist, control of promotional stock handed out and event planning. I have learnt a lot involving events and promotions- which is quite exciting
REASON FOR LEAVING: It was a temporary job for 3 months
3. I worked on a contract basis at the Port Elizabeth FIFA 2010 World Cup stadium.
Here I was in charge of one of the many kitchens within the stadium. I had 6 junior chef-students working beneath me. Wow, what an experience it was!
REASON FOR LEAVING: Temporary-contract basis employment
4. I started working as Head Chef/ Kitchen Manager at Deli Street Café in the upmarket area of Richmond Hill in Port Elizabeth in June 2010.
My duties included ordering of stock, stock control, quality control, managing of staff, breakfast and lunch services as well as spot checks and cleaning schedules within the restaurant and kitchen. I was also the one who implemented control lists to maintain minimum and maximum stock which was to be ordered etc in the kitchen at all times. I was also involved in menu costing and planning, function menu’s and setting up.
I also did majority of the prep work in the confectionary, hot kitchen and cold kitchen/larder areas. I also liaised with the owner (Sandra Burnett) with new idea’s and recipe trials for the menu and daily specials.
Deli Street café has a very simple yet sophisticated menu consisting of poached egg breakfasts, seared tuna salads, shacking of oysters, beef Carpaccio foccacia, lamb wraps and fantastic vegetarian falafels – just to name a few. I was working shifts from 6am until 4pm and get one Saturday a month off. Also towards the end of my time at Deli Street Café, the restaurant started with evening services as well. My shifts then were altered slightly as I still started at 6am and ended at 10pm (doing this two to three times a week).
Within 5 month of starting with Deli Street Café, they opened another branch in the Greenacres Office Park in Newton Park. I am also in charge of the ordering and stock control for this shop and sending mise-en-place to them every day.
I feel that by working at Deli Street Café I have gained valued experience in the running and managing of a kitchen and one’s own business. But I do feel however that the menu isn’t challenging enough for me as I would like to now focus on more fine-dining dishes.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Want something more challenging and the opportunity for starting my own coffee shop became a reality
5. Whilst in London I worked for two hotel/ restaurants within the Red Carnation Hotel Group. I had a one year contract with my employer and gained amazing kitchen experience.
• Firstly I worked for 3 months at a hotel called The Montague on the Gardens in Russell Square, London. Here I worked on the larder section, preparing mise-en-place for everyday service. The Montague had a more classical English menu consisting of smoked salmon & quail eggs, asparagus & hollandaise sauce and traditional club sandwiches etc.
I was also in charge of sending up fruit and vegetable displays everyday to the dining rooms. As well as sending up bar snacks in one of the many bars situated in the hotel.
Here I worked mostly double shifts from 8am – 11pm, five days a week which included room service and working in the pastry section as well.
• Next I moved over to the company’s South African inspired restaurant in Victoria, London called B-bar. Here I completed my remaining 9 months of my contract. I started working on the larder section as well, doing mise-en-place for service, receiving daily stock orders, plating food and normal brunch and dinner service etc.
B-bar had a more refined modern menu, consisting of biltong salads, ostrich steaks, soufflés and homemade ice creams. Over B-bar’s busy Christmas period I moved over to hot kitchen, where I was thus in charge of mise-en-place and general service, as well as overseeing the mise-en-place in the larder section and prep work for functions. Here I learned valued experience in time management and multi-tasking .
After 3 months I was running the larder section myself (with one other chef). This section also had to prepare for the evening or weekend functions ranging from 60 – 200 people.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Work-holiday visa expired.
