CHEFFING
FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD SISANDA SINESIPHO NKONYENI DEMI PASTRY CHEF BELMOND MOUNT NELSON
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BE A PASTRY CHEF? My love for food started when I was still in primary school. Whenever I got home I’d watch these cooking shows and sometimes recreate what I had seen on TV. Taking up cheffing as a profession was never part of the plan, until my final term in high school. I went ahead and studied professional cookery, and then worked in various kitchens, looking for who I wanted to be in the world of chefs. I found a sense of belonging, but that wasn’t enough. I moved on after my three years in hotel school, applying for a pastry position. Since then, I’ve never looked back. I feel at home when I’m in the pastry kitchen. It has taught me alot of patience.
WHAT TRAINING DID YOU UNDERGO, AND WHERE? I studied Hospitality Management: ND Professional Cookery at the Cape Town Hotel School, CPUT.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK? I love it when things come together! It goes with being organised. Working with other people, working in a team.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter how good a chef you are, you always learn something from the people you work with, be it at the junior or senior level. Most of us refuse to admit that you can always learn something through someone else’s work.
WHAT DON’T YOU LIKE? I don’t like receiving complaints about work that I was involved in because I don’t like to disappoint my guests. Therefore,it is important for me to do my best every day.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? Happy, content guests is a highlight of my every day!
IN CHEFFING, IS EXPERIENCE AS IMPORTANT AS FORMAL TRAINING? Definitely, some things you can’t be taught in class, or in a culinary lab. You get to pick up a whole lot more in the kitchen. As a chef, you do more practical work, and may find that the theoretical part of it is not as important. For me, if you have both then your work becomes a little bit less difficult.
“I feel at home when I’m in the #PastryKitchen.”
WHAT HURDLES HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME? I guess it would have to be taking things personally. Over the few years that I’ve been training and have been a chef, I’ve learnt that everyone I serve will have an opinion of their own. Taking criticism in a constructive manner wasn’t easy, but it has helped me; it is slowly shaping me into the person I want to become. I’m more at peace with criticism these days.
IS THERE A TYPE OF PERSONALITY BEST SUITED TO THIS WORK, OR CERTAIN TRAITS ONE SHOULD HAVE (OR NOT HAVE)?
Passion is key. You have to love what you do. As Vincent van Gogh once stated, “If it’s done in love, it’s done well.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY? Always keep an open mind to others, and eventually find a style that illustrates your individuality.
DESCRIBE YOUR JOB IN THREE WORDS Sweet • Hard (work) • Fun
60 | POST MATRIC 2016
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2016/06/27 4:01 PM