From chores to international chef
Making great moves and landing in international kitchens
Immanuel Kambata is a chef by profession who started helping his aunt with cooking duties at home. He originates from Ongwediva in northern Namibia and that's where “this cooking thing started”.
Having had a late aunt who owned a catering company, he would always help her out in the kitchen with cooking and preparing good-looking meals. The next thing he noticed was the rest of his family calling him the ‘Chef at Home’. Even though he had little knowledge of the culinary arts at that time, he had great passion for it and was led to study towards obtaining this qualification.
“Another aunt of mine asked me if I was interested in studying culinary arts. This fuelled my passion more and with my family’s support, I began my journey at Nice restaurant through the Wolwedans Desert Academy,” he said. Being able to work with some great chefs such as David Thomas and Ralf Herrgott was a remarkable experience for him.
Some of the accomplishments Kambata shared are being able to prepare meals abroad; cook for great international names; working under some of the best chefs in the culinary world and rubbing shoulders with the master chefs.
Chef’s duties
Kambata’s job involves overseeing the junior staff and training them; menu planning; ensuring that all food prepared meets set standard and constantly thinking out of the box to meet the customers’ demands. “My typical day starts with ticking off goals achieved for the day, waking up at 05:00, followed by a 30-minute workout, a shower and then a cup of coffee. After all this, my to-do list comes to play. By writing down tasks to be completed in the kitchen, I am better able to allocate tasks to team members and delegate them,” he said. This he says is a continuing task which only ends once the day is over. The kitchen gets cleaned and all food is packed away and the gas stoves are switched off.
Kambata advises aspiring chefs to be curious and hungry to learn. “Work under the best and be like a sponge, gaining all the knowledge you can possibly get. When you travel, make time to learn about other cuisines and never be afraid to make mistakes,” he said.
Having had a late aunt who owned a catering company, he would always help her out in the kitchen with cooking and preparing good-looking meals. The next thing he noticed was the rest of his family calling him the ‘Chef at Home’. Even though he had little knowledge of the culinary arts at that time, he had great passion for it and was led to study towards obtaining this qualification.
“Another aunt of mine asked me if I was interested in studying culinary arts. This fuelled my passion more and with my family’s support, I began my journey at Nice restaurant through the Wolwedans Desert Academy,” he said. Being able to work with some great chefs such as David Thomas and Ralf Herrgott was a remarkable experience for him.
Some of the accomplishments Kambata shared are being able to prepare meals abroad; cook for great international names; working under some of the best chefs in the culinary world and rubbing shoulders with the master chefs.
Chef’s duties
Kambata’s job involves overseeing the junior staff and training them; menu planning; ensuring that all food prepared meets set standard and constantly thinking out of the box to meet the customers’ demands. “My typical day starts with ticking off goals achieved for the day, waking up at 05:00, followed by a 30-minute workout, a shower and then a cup of coffee. After all this, my to-do list comes to play. By writing down tasks to be completed in the kitchen, I am better able to allocate tasks to team members and delegate them,” he said. This he says is a continuing task which only ends once the day is over. The kitchen gets cleaned and all food is packed away and the gas stoves are switched off.
Kambata advises aspiring chefs to be curious and hungry to learn. “Work under the best and be like a sponge, gaining all the knowledge you can possibly get. When you travel, make time to learn about other cuisines and never be afraid to make mistakes,” he said.
Kommentaar
Republikein
Geen kommentaar is op hierdie artikel gelaat nie