Parents day

Our first parents day of the year was a huge success.Us hotel and lodge management students baked 400 cookies and 8 bannana breads, during the week, for it to be ready on the Friday.The rest of the students and us, cleaned and organized everything at the boys house, we took down tables and chairs, table cloths and decorations, coffee station, sideplates, cutlery, you name it. Everything was set up there on the stoep of the boys house, and tables and chairs under the trees for the parents. They already started to arrive at 08h00. We welcomed them with a smile, they had coffee and relaxed under the trees, and watched a slide show of photos of us, that we put together.


Inside the class room, the brown hyiena, we set out tables with all our files. We have a Portfolio of evedence, a learner guide and a aide memoir.Each of which have a different purpose.The portfolio contains all my tasks, notes, assighnments, anything that i do or wright myself goes in there, for example:

My firts week at Sondela was a introduction week, they took us through the rops and showed us whats going on, we did a few excersizes and assighnments on communication, customer service, management and working in groups.After the introduction week, i started with my chef course....!The most important thing in a kitchen is to clean as you go!!!!!Health, safety and hygiene is very impotant in a kitchen.Thats why we where protective chefs uniform, a double breasted jacket, to protect us from heat and burns, non slippery shoes, n hat, that creates a air vent on the top of your head inside the hollow tall hat, because kitchens can get very hot.To clean as you go, is very important, it prevents cross contamination and bacteria to spread and grow, and it also ensures a neat and tidy work station, so that you have space to work, this also prevents cuts and bumps, and speeds up the work proccess.We work with diffirent colour cutting boards, green= vegetables and fruits, white=dairy, brown= cooked meats, red= raw meat, yellow= chicken, blue= fish.The reason for this is also to prevent cross contamination between the different foods.



The learner guide contains all of my study material, so we work out of it, learn and make notes of it.The aide memoir is exactly what it sounds like, its there as a aide.You can deside what you put in, everything that you feel is most important, or something you want close to you, like a recipe or french terms of different foods, so basicly all the things you want to remember and want close to you, for example: French terms, basicly all foods and supplies are french names and terms, to these terms are very important, it makes the work go faster and more sufficient, for example: Jullienne = matchstick size cut for vegetables like carrots, Brunoix = small blocks for stuff like onions, Chiffonade = thin slitthers for stuff like lettuce. There are 14 cooking methods which is used for preparing food:

Boiling
Baking
Deep fry
Shallow fry
Pot roasting
Grilling
Saute
Glazing
Braizing
Steaming
Stewing
Blanching
Poaching
Roasting

Over all the day was a success, the parents got to see what we do, and get to know the staff and persons responsible for us, a little better.And everyone enjoyed our cookies.

Working at Feathers

Every 3 mounths there is a huge function called "Bosveld vriende", here in the Bela-Bela area. So all the lodges, places and people involved in the hospitality industry are invited, and every time, someone else hosts the whole thing. This time it was Feathers Restaurant, a beautiful little place on a 23 ha plot, run by a family of 4. So i know all this because they asked for our help to come and waiter and clean up. So they sent Annamarie and myself.It was alot of fun, we welcomed the people at the door with a sherry and punch, once everybody was inside, there were a few speeches and then the entertainment for the night, was 4 girls who sang, they were also very enjoyable.So the evening progressed, the people finished eeting, and when the rush at the buffet table was over, we just cleared tables, everybody was relaxed, and just listened to the music.

We started cleaning and clearing at about 11 o'clock, and i got home at 1 o'clock. It was a fun night, very different to Sondela, but in a way the same, it was dreat to see how there kitchen works and how they do things, it was deffenitely a good experience, and i would love to do it again.

RCI weekend

This past weekend, we had one of our most important events of the year! The whole weekend was dedicated to RCI. The whole RCI staff was here, we catered for 70 people. The management staff of RCI stayed in the Country house, so i also went to work there, taking care of them, and keeping them happy. Friday night we had a dinner for them in the boma at Piccinini's, i had to take the 7 people from the Country house there, and wait on them and Mr Ian van Rensburg.It was alot of fun, we had a guy preforming, so everyone dansed and sang along. Everybody left just after 11, then we started to clean and put everything away, what a job, the thing is, the next morning we have to set up for brunch, so it has to be clean before we go home for the night, so eventually i got home at about 1 o'clock, and went straight to bed.

The next morning we had to be at the academy at 7 o'clock, to meet with Elsie(hospitality manager) and hear the plans for the day.Then when started with the setup for the brunch at 10 o'clock. It looked stunning, white table cloths with red and white check for over lays. Everybody arrived and had there brunch, i organized there activities for day, like horse rides, quad rides, game drives and paintball. then we startde gethering all the stuff we needed for the bush dinner that evening at the adventure centre, tables, braais, candles, cutlery and crocery. when everything was finaly on its way to the adventure centre i went back to the country house to check on my geusts. I spent the afternoon with them, and then took them to Piccinini's for the rugby. We then went to the adventure centre for the bush dinner, it was lovely, candles everywhere, bon fires and people eeting dancing and just having fun.It was so clod, but i didn't even relize it, because i was running around the whole time.The people left at about 11, and we again cleaned and cleared up everything.The night was a huge success and i loved every minute of it, even though i was so tired.

The bush exsperience

The wildlife centre is one of our main attractions here on Sondela, they take care of sick or wounded amnimals, feed them play and nerture them, so we visit from time to time, i meen it doesn't get any cuter than this!!!!

The amazing thing of studying here at Sondela, is being in the bushveld. Where else can you sit in a class room and see a giraffe eeting from a tree, or while going to work pass a few warthogs running and playing around. Working in this environment is truely a priveladge, so many people forget about the wonderfull and beautiful country that we are blessed with. And the best part of it all, when i'm done for the day, i can go and sit on my stoep and just enjoy the sounds and smells of nature.

Op Sondela is almal vriende, ons het dit bewys toe ons lekker saam die management span by die seuns se huis gekuier het en geeet het. Ons het gesing en gesels en om n warm vuurtjie gesit, die aand was regtig n groot sukses en baie lekker.

Someone once told me that, :"One is to less a number to achieve greatness". That is how it works here at Sondela, we learn, work and play together, everybody knows what they are responsible for and what must be done, that is how a successfull bussiness has to be run, teamwork, something i have come to learn and love here.And belive me, its not just work work work, well it is most of the time, but we make room for a little fun.......

During the holidays we have a staff caberet every Thursday night, so basicly we dress up, and give the guests something to laugh about. We do different drama pieces on stage, the boys dresses up, in skirts and do the can-can and basicly we just make fun of our selves, the guests enjoy it, but not as much as we do....

Sover het Sondela ongelooflik baie vir my gebied en beteken. Dis baie harde werk, lang ure en moeilike gaste, maar dis lekker en ek leer al die pad. Die week wat verby is, is ek terug na die kombuis om koekies te bak. Vrydag 8 Mei was ons ouerdag gewees en ons is gevra om koekies en piesang brood te maak wat saam met die koffie en tee bedien kan word. So 2 dae, 425 koekies en 8 piesang brode later het ons eers weer gerus, geglimlag en lekker geeet.

Ek het nou die Chef gedeelte van my kursus klaar gemaak, dit het baie goed gegaan met my prakties, het noggal gestress. Maar nou ja, na dit het ek weer n ruk in die kombuis gewerk en by F&B, in die restoerant en guest house en het ook begin help met wine deliveries.
Vandag het ons nou begin met n nuwe afdeling, reception! Sien noggal baie uit daarna. Dit is wat so lekker is van my kursus, ek doen elke dag iets nuuts, dis great en verseker nie vervelig nie.