Making clients happy through good food and service

I’m really enjoying the challenge and working with the people around me. Hopefully I will be here for a few years to come so we can continue making our clients as happy as possible by giving them great food and service,” he said.

Paul was born in Leamington Spa, England. He went to Myton School where he left at the age of 16 and decided that he enjoyed cooking so went to south Warwickshire College where he completed a City & Guilds three-year catering course.

“While I was attending college I also had an evening job at an Italian restaurant doing basic prep work for the chef.”

Once he left college he went to work at a gastro pub for three years doing the basic prep and cooking. “After leaving college I went to a restaurant called Sachers, where I was employed for eight years, working my way up from commis chef to sous chef. I then went to work at the opposition restaurant in Stratford Upon Avon, which was around the corner from the Shakespeare Theatre. This restaurant seated 50 guests, but most nights we could serve 130-200 guests.”

Paul said: “I am married but have no children; my wife and I met in England and dated for six months before she moved back to South Africa. One month later I also moved to South Africa to be with her, that was 13 years ago. We have been married for six years now.”

When not working he enjoys watching movies at the cinema and socialising with close friends over a meal and drinks.

His advice for anybody who wants to become a chef is: “You must be passionate about cooking and be okay to work the long hours, you can quite often miss out on social things with family and friends.” Paul has worked at various establishments in South Africa as either sous chef or head chef, they are: Ten Bompas Hotel, Narina Trogon Restaurant, Zulu Nyala Country Manor and Peech Hotel.

“Each place I have worked at has given me experience in different ways, some places were smaller with al a carte restaurants cooking from 20 to 60 guests a night, other places were much bigger catering for large conferences and weddings cooking for as many as 500 guests at a time and doing several different functions in the same day.”

Paul added: “I think it is important to try different places where the type of food and the serving of it can be very different, this helps you grow as a chef and teaches you a verity of skills and how to deal with various challenges you will experience as an executive chef.

“The one piece of advice I would pass on to anybody who wants to become an executive chef is always be as patient and calm with your staff as much as you can, most of the time you will find that the staff will react better to you and do their job to a better standard, plus if they are happy in their job it will show in the presentation and taste of the food.”

What is your signature

dish? My signature dish is slow cooked pork belly on creamy mustard mash with caramelised apples and an Asian jus. A good wine match for this is a white Chenin Blanc. If you don’t like to drink wine then a medium dry cider or pale ale will go nicely.

What trends are emerging in the conference industry in regards to food? Trends that are emerging in the conference industry in regards to food are eating healthier and lighter food so when people go back into their meetings after lunch they don’t feel to full and blotted and tired. Delegates want to be able to keep momentum up in their meeting and not feel slow and sluggish.

What has remained constant in this industry? One thing that has remained constant in conferencing is the need to have the food ready on time for the conference breaks, people don’t want to wait around wasting time. Time is money. They want to eat quickly and get back to their business meeting or brain storming session.

What is your favourite beverage? My favorite beverages are tea, coffee or beer.

What is your favourite food? My favourite foods are sandwiches and burgers. The main reason for this is because you can put anything inside depending on your mood or whatever you have in your fridge and there are so many combinations you can have so they never get boring.

What is your pet hate? My pet hate is lateness; I believe you should always be on time or even arrive somewhere early.

What is your great love? My great love is seeing the guest’s face light up when they have really enjoyed what you have cooked for them.

Are you adventurous? When I was younger I used to be adventurous. I’ve visited 26 different countries and spent three months traveling around Australia which was a wonderful experience.