Bianca is the head pastry chef and acting executive sous chef at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront. 

Tell me more about yourself and your journey thus far?

Outside of hospitality, I am a new wife and mom to a beautiful girl. I enjoy music, so being married to a musician is a plus. I am also involved in the church back home. I love to do charity work so I will also, when I have time, visit local old-age homes and children’s homes giving them my time. I also enjoy being out in nature, going on hikes or taking a long road trip with the family and cooking outdoors.

Before working at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, I had been privileged enough to do some private chef work for some local but mostly international clients. This all helped mold and shape me for the current role I currently hold. I am the head pastry chef and acting executive sous chef.

To ensure that our guests are always receiving an exceptional dining experience, I also work to make sure that all food items are prepared to exceptional standards.

I now take on more responsibility in assisting Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront Executive Chef Norman Heath with the overall kitchen operations including financial goal setting and budgeting. To ensure that our guests are always receiving an exceptional dining experience, I also work to make sure that all food items are prepared to exceptional standards while at the same time maintaining portion control and minimising waste. I make sure that food stock levels within the kitchen are of sufficient quantity and quality in relevance to the hotel occupancy and function forecasts.

I look forward to spending more of my time here at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront growing into the acting position.

What made you decide to become a chef?

Well, it all starts at home doesn’t it? My family are those that gather around food and I remember always waking up to the smell of my mom’s baking or coming home to a Sunday roast. There was always something cooking.

I loved working at Ginger restaurant just shadowing the chefs there and going through the rush of service. I also enjoyed the learning process of having produced, delivered and quality assuring it and then preparing it for specific dish requirements. This meant that the produce that I had personally selected was cooked in a multitude of ways, and for me, seeing the end results were “wow”.

I was still in high school at that time and for the duration of my work experience I was in home economics and did really well and from then on I decided to step into hospitality. I applied through Protea Hotels who had an internship programme at the time, and did most of my training in big hotel kitchens. The programme was very hands-on so most of my time was spent in the kitchen grafting.

What do you love most about what you do?

Seeing and feeling the gratitude from the guests that have enjoyed our cooking. I also do enjoy taking the new bees under my wing and passing knowledge onto them. Creating and plating new dishes, playing with wild and weird ingredients.

Take me through a day in the life of a chef.

My day varies all the time, depending on the day. I start at 6am; I will always get my boss his coffee for the morning. After which we proceed with the daily orders for breakfast, functions, and banquets.

If there are functions for the day as sous chefs, we will delegate to the staff on shift what all needs to be done for the day, like sorting out and plating for functions and making sure the a la cart prep is in order.

I also have my own work to complete like menu planning and costing. Making sure that all hygiene check sheets are completed during the day. In general making sure that the operation of the kitchen runs functionally and smoothly. And of course sorting out any hiccups along the way.

Take me through your creative process – how do you come up with a menu? What inspires you?

This is a difficult one. I tend to look at what I am working with in terms of produce and from there come up with ideas for platings. A lot of the time, I will sit and brainstorm with my executive and we will bounce ideas off each other. In addition, what tends to happen is I will be doing a function or another small event and will need to come up with new ideas and concepts. I then get the opportunity to play with new trends and flavors.

Things that inspire me would be local flavors, my environment (currently at the ocean side), and the seasons.

If you could have dinner with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be, and why? What would you serve?

Mr. Bean – Rowan Atkinson.

He can literally makes something out of nothing. His creative ways inspires me in a funny way. He is not only a comedian but also a man of many talents. Would be a very interesting dinner.

Your favorite food-and-wine pairing?

This is a difficult one. I love all foods and cuisines. However, for this I will say Teriyaki-glazed salmon side grilled greens with a semi sweet rosé.