Hospitality is still one of the most male-saturated industries in South Africa, and Hyatt Hotels South Africa is determined to bridge this gap. Two of their best, Chefs Khanyi Nsutsha and Chrizelle Venter shared their experiences, the women-specific challenges of their demanding jobs and their favourite things about working at Hyatt.
Taking initiative ensures growth
Chef Khanyi is much younger and has only been working as a pastry chef for three years, while Chef Chrizelle is seasoned with 15 years of experience under her belt, having created South African-inspired treats such as the citrus malva and Highveld pumpkin creations.
The kitchen is multi-dimensional, featuring professionals like cold kitchen chefs who deal with salads and the like, grill chefs whose work is self-explanatory and pastry chefs who are responsible for desserts and everything sweet.
Khanyi attributes her ability to climb through the ranks in such a short time to motivation—a sentiment Chrizelle shares as she says she also moved up quite quickly.
“If you’re good at what you do, are eager to learn and show leadership skills then your superiors trust you more and start to see that you can run a kitchen,” Khanyi expands.
Park Hyatt JohannesburgChef Khanyi’s leadership skills and hunger to learn catapulted her career very fast.
Hunger for the work goes a long way, as another shared sentiment between the two chefs is that people who don’t take initiative tend to fall through the cracks. Passionate chefs are also able to move between departments, and Chrizelle’s experience is proof of this.
The experienced fine-dining chef specialises in pastry but is an all-rounder who is equally competent in banqueting as well as cold and hot kitchen work. She says specialisation requires an additional two years of study.
“I went through the ranks quite quickly. If you show potential, you can move up really fast up to a certain point, and then when you get to a managerial level, it becomes a little more administrative,” Chrizelle adds.
Navigating the kitchen
Khanyi finds so much joy in plating, and her eyes light up when she describes how rewarding it is to look at the final product knowing it’s her own creation.
“It’s an art. You spend all day preparing, and when it comes together, it reminds me that this is why I come to work. Seeing people’s faces light up when they see that dessert is a really great feeling,” she says.
Park Hyattt JohannesbugChef Chrizelle from Hyatt Hotels South Africa loves the kitchen thrill and adrenalin.
However, she also feels that pastry is a bit neglected, saying that this might change if pastry chefs learnt more techniques and made themselves more visible.
Now in a managerial position, Chrizelle misses the kitchen and says she still enjoys jumping back in when she is short-staffed. The buzz and energy of being surrounded by people and food is her favourite part of being a chef.
Being hands-on seems to be the norm, as Senior Restaurant Manager Ashleigh Poltera was observed taking her jacket off and assisting with a children’s party while also ensuring that the guests enjoying the Women’s Day Brunch on 9 August at Park Hyatt Johannesburg were taken care of.
Being a woman chef
Because the hours and working environment are so demanding, women sometimes feel compelled to pivot or leave the industry altogether. Sacrifices have to be made, and family time and social life are some of the things that are greatly impacted.
“Because work takes so much of your time, some women think that maybe they should try alternative career paths. It’s different for men because they can get married and have a family, but it doesn’t really phase them that much because they generally have the idea that there’s someone taking care of things at home,” says Khanyi.
Chrizelle adds that the kitchen can be quite laborious and require heavy lifting, which also pushes some women away from this profession. The temperature in the kitchen can also be a challenge, propelling women to either pivot to product development and other facets of hospitality or leave the industry completely.
Khanyi and Chrizelle both enjoy working at Hyatt and say that it is a healthy, welcoming and supportive environment for women to work in that offers ample opportunities for growth.
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