Her introduction to fine dining came as a student, when she joined Chef Chantel Dartnall’s team at Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient. It was the first fine dining kitchen she worked in, and one that left a lasting impression. She later returned to work alongside Chef Chantel for five years, refining her skills and finding her voice.

“Working with Chef Chantel opened a door I never knew existed,” she says. “She was the one who first placed me on the pastry section, quite suddenly and without warning, in a part of the kitchen I had always avoided. Yet somehow, it became the place where I felt most at home. What began with hesitation grew into my greatest passion. I will always be grateful that she saw something in me before I could see it in myself. In her kitchen, imagination and creativity were not only welcomed but nurtured with intention.”

She worked in several respected kitchens across South Africa, including with chefs Margot Janse, Bertus Basson, and Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. These experiences gave her a strong foundation in kitchen culture and an appreciation for the many ways food can tell a story.

Now, returning to work with Chef Chantel at Château des Tesnières in Brittany, France, feels like coming home. For her, pastry is where precision meets poetry, and where even the most fleeting dish can leave behind something lasting.