She will be winging her way, courtesy of British Airways operated by Comair, to Belmond Mount Nelson where she will be baking up a storm with Craig Hibbert (Executive Pastry Chef) and Togara Mabharani. Can anyone sniff the aroma of freshly baked golden loaves? Crusty of course!
A warm thank you to the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel for this superb and generous gesture and opportunity! To Rudi Liebenberg (Executive Chef) a widely experienced and most caring mentor, many, many thanks.
ABOUT ALEX
Allessandria Jordan – or Alex as everyone calls her – originally set her career target on entering the legal world with a degree in commercial law studies. She made it all the way through to her third year of study before realising her heart simply wasn’t in it. Where her heart was taking her was into the kitchens of the hospitality world.
She completely changed tack and entered into the Capsicum Culinary Studio where she graduated with a Diploma in International Culinary Arts. She admits now that is was neither an easy decision nor an easy journey afterwards making such a radical change so deep into her studies but Alex wanted to peruse her passion and her dream. Having made the change, she discovered that her real skill lay in the specific arena of the pastry kitchen. She literally fell in love with pastry and pursued this new avenue vigorously. In her worlds, after that she simply never looked back.
Alex was lucky enough to take her skills to the USA where she gained more exposure and experience in this field. On her return, she entered the business workplace, finding positions with Sasol, TS Africa, Interwaste, African Bank and even the Johannesburg Theatre (as an intern), to name just a few. Then she entered through the doors of the Palazzo Hotel Tsogo Sun and settled into what she declares as “the best job yet.”
From the Palazzo she was invited to join the aspiring and creative team at De Hoek Country Hotel where she will find full rein for her enthusiasm and dedication to the culinary arts.
Alex is driven, motivated and hard working. Delivering a perfect skill requirement for any busy kitchen, she loves a challenge and absolutely thrives under pressure.
She finds the world of working in a hotel kitchen particularly tough but she enjoys the whole environment tremendously and wouldn’t change her (second!) career path for anything in the world.
In a future world, we are most likely to see Alex, “happy and content” running her own “little cake boutique on the corner of a bustling Johannesburg suburb”.