Chanel Fortuin

Head Pastry Chef with 12 years industry experience. Exemplary educated in both hot and cold kitchen, with a proven passion for all things food. Highly skilled in catering administrative duties which include the complete day-to-day functioning of the hot and cold section. Notable achievements throughout my career.

Experience in many different kinds of establishments.

Senior Pastry Chef - FEEDEM Catering Group

(2025-02)

• Customizing menus to suite each student/staff member individually (dietary needs).
• Recipe development for rotational/seasonal menus.
• Health and Safety representative. Conducting monthly checklists.
• Menu planning for daily breakfast/lunch and supper as well as special functions.
• Catering for special diets/ restrictions.
• Stock take and sign in.
• Functions Co-ordinating.
• Managing tuckshop pastry production.
• Placing orders.
• Menu rotation.
• Managing google drive ( Recipes, costing, budgeting)
• Food safety training.
• Implementing HACCP principles and application guidelines.
• Customer queries.
• Focusing on nutritional value of all meals prepared.
• Preparation of novelty cakes, confectioneries, biscuits, tarts and artisan breads.
• plating desserts.

Head Chef/Catering Manager - Empact

(2024-12 - 2025-01)

• Check Staff attendance.
• Issue out warnings/discipline hearings where necessary
• Weekly staff meetings.
• Motivate/Reward staff where needed
• Approve/Deny leave days/sick days. Fill in necessary documents.
• Attend hearings.
• Manage daily PRP for staff attendance and submit monthly.
• Stock control. Place and receive orders, write out credit notes.
• Use work system.

Head Chef/Kitchen Manager - Expresso Café/ The Hub

(2024-07 - 2024-11)

• Responsible for the smooth running/functioning of factory production.
• High volume/pressure kitchen function.
• Delegating tasks to staff to ensure maximin production.
• Attending to all administrative duties( Calculating costing spreadsheets, emailing necessary suppliers, price checking between suppliers to determine best value for money, Conducting user manuals, PowerPoint demos of machinery.)
• Disciplining staff when necessary.
• printing, copying recipes, manuals for staff to follow
• Providing medical assistance for staff injury on duty.
• Setting rules and regulations for staff to follow.
• In charge of daily work/cleaning/lunch schedules of staff.
• Fire fighter training
• Setting meetings for special requests/ changes in daily activities.
• Answering all calls.
• Sitting in on staff reviews/hiring/dismissing staff.
• Ensuring daily target for orders are met.
• Conducting special diets menus.(Health restrictions, Religious believes, Allergens, Vegan, Special preferences etc.)
• Checking out stock to various stores/cafes.
• Recipe development, cost effective, value for money recipes.
• Consistency in mass production
• Answer emails daily.
• Draw up quotes for functions.
• Order necessary ingredients/hire equipment/platters/table clothes/cutlery etc.
• Keep track of GP percentage through resale, functions, daily meals sold.
• Manage wastage, fill out waste forms and submit monthly.
• Perform regular health and safety checks, fill out and submit necessary documents.
• Handle complaints from client appropriately.
• Test new recipes in kitchen.
• Manage functions ( make sure set-ups are done to clients satisfaction. Cook & plate menu items. Ensure function set up gets broken down correctly.
• Manage three sites accordingly. Make sure menus, resale and functions are satisfactory to each client.
• Write up and send weekly menus to three clients.
• Ensure all dietary restrictions are provided for.
• Ensure costings all have all have at least 35% mark-up on quotes.
• Workout and update costings of resale accordingly.
• Make sure staff fill out correct daily documentation for Q&A.
• Manage KPIs.
• Ensure every audit assessment gets passed.
• Train staff where necessary. ( staff development)
• Ensure Kitchen maintains correct hygiene according to HACCP.
• Ensure kitchen and office gets locked and unlocked daily.
• Handle/mange petty cash/ transport money/ slips get submitted.
• Ensure driver makes deliveries/ collections on time. Fill in for drivers where and when necessary. Do routine check-ups at other units.
• Attend monthly meeting with G.M and RM. Report on operations.
• Recipe development.
• Compare suppliers.
• Food preparation, french pastries, doughnuts, artisan breads, confectionaries,cakes, cupcakes.
• Operating and maintaining machinery.
• purchasing and budgeting
• Instruct and supervise subordinates.
• Quality control
• Ensuring factory gets cleaned and maintains necessary hygiene standards.
• Decision making.
• Managing and handling heavy machinery for mass production.
• Ensuring quality and consistency with employees and machinery.
• Troubleshooting
• Supply chain for all stores. Keeping up with store demands and resolving conflict and other issues.
• Focusing largely on mass scale production.
• Analyzing and ensuring factory is HACCP compliant.
• Health and safety representative in factory.
• Ordering equipment, ingredients and chemicals.
• Implementing constructive, productive kitchen.
• Training staff.
• Testing new recipes that meet company requirements.
• Problem solving.
• Employee reviews.
• Hiring of new staff.
• Managing kitchen staff work schedule/hours.
• Conducting meetings.

Senior Pastry Chef - FEEDEM Catering Group

(2020-01 - 2024-06)

• Customizing menus to suite each student/staff member individually (dietary needs).
• Recipe development for rotational/seasonal menus.
• Health and Safety representative. Conducting monthly checklists.
• Menu planning for daily breakfast/lunch and supper as well as special functions.
• Catering for special diets/ restrictions.
• Stock take and sign in.
• Functions Co-ordinating.
• Managing tuckshop pastry production.
• Placing orders.
• Menu rotation.
• Managing google drive ( Recipes, costing, budgeting)
• Food safety training.
• Implementing HACCP principles and application guidelines.
• Customer queries.
• Focusing on nutritional value of all meals prepared.
• Preparation of novelty cakes, confectioneries, biscuits, tarts and artisan breads.
• plating desserts.

Pastry CDP chef - Myatt Café and chocolatier

(2018-11 - 2019-03)

• Focusing on plating, fine dining, monthly menu changing responsibility. No repetition.
• Stock control(Daily).
• Costing of ingredients and recipes.
• Menu planning
• Placing orders
• Leading a small team for daily baking operations. (Tasks and responsibilities).
• Creating quotes for potential clients.
• Equipment functioning maintenance.

Pastry chef - Tessas Bakery Milnerton

(2017-08 - 2018-09)

• Focusing on fine arts, confectionary, decoration.
• Brainstorming new designs for confectionery.
• Responsible for Front Of House display units.
• Stock control and maintenance.
• Special orders for customers.
• sharing ideas for displays, plating of delicacies, table layouts.
• Managing tills occasionally.

Breakfast Chef - 35 On Washington Street

(2016-03 - 2017-03)

• Focusing on French style baking and confectionery.
• Baking fresh breads every day.
• Sweet French Pastry item of the day.
• Set out buffet menu for the day.
• plan menu for next day.
• Work according to gust numbers and dietry requirements.
• Decorating dining hall.
• Creating my own layout for buffet station.
• shopping for ingredients.
• Ensuring dining hall gets cleaned correctly daily.

Demi Pastry Chef - Ludick's Lodge

(2015-04 - 2015-09)

• Checking daily menus meet dietary needs of clients.( lunch, dinner and dessert.
• plating dessert.
• Re-purposing left over items to minimize wastage.
• Answering telephonic calls for meal bookings.
• Dealing face to face with clients, maintaining satisfactory standards.
• Placing orders.
• Checking plating is consistent of all meals.

Combination Programme in Culinary Arts - Culinary Arts - Capsicum Culinary Studio (2014 - 2015)

Batchelors Diploma, Matric - Parow High School (2006 - 2010)