From washing dishes to being head chef
Vivacious Ndlovu (34) is a chef who has a rags to accomplishment story to tell.
tumelot@caxton.co.za
Ndlovu, who left school in Grade 10 as his parents could no longer afford to pay for his studies, is today the head chef at a local restaurant.
This is after he managed to undergo 13 years in-house training experience from different restaurants to finally hit the limelight.
Ndlovu left Zimbabwe seeking a better life in South Africa.
In November 1999, Ndlovu got a job washing plates in the kitchen of a restaurant at the East Rand Mall.
He then got promoted to kitchen manager, which was followed by a stint as a training coordinator at another restaurant.
“I taught myself how to cook by observing other chefs, and by practising a lot,” says Ndlovu.
The first foods he started making were pizza, salads and pasta dishes.
Today he makes a range of dishes from fish, stews, burgers, steaks and ribs.
“It makes me happy when customers enjoy my food. When they are happy I am happy,” he adds.
His favourite dishes include steaks, which he says you can make them in so many different ways.
Ndlovu isn’t only a chef, but also operates a gardening service in his spare time to keep himself busy.
As a good cook, Ndlovu finds it slightly difficult to eat out at restaurants without critiquing the food he is served.
“I only criticise them in my head, but I don’t eat much anyway, because I’m always around food,” he points out.
Having started out as an electrician and obtaining a cabling qualification before becoming a chef, Ndlovu says in a few years’ time, he’d like to establish an electrical and cabling company.
When asked to describe himself, he found it difficult to find the right words but says he is a perfectionist. – @TumeloBoksburg
