From Zimbabwe to Ireland: A Journey of Passion, Excellence, and Culinary Innovation
Follow Tawanda Kuzanga's remarkable journey from his early days in Zimbabwe to becoming Sous Chef at the prestigious Montenotte Hotel in Cork, Ireland.
Completed A-Level education, building a strong foundation in sciences and arts that would later inform culinary creativity and precision.
Graduated with Professional Cookery certification, mastering fundamental cooking techniques, food safety, kitchen management, and culinary arts.
Prepared food items consistently and in compliance with recipes, portioning, cooking and waste control guidelines. Led shifts while personally preparing food items and executing requests based on required specifications. Maintained smooth and timely operations in preparation and delivery of meals and kitchen sanitation.
Cooked and served food and meals in accordance with planned menus, diet plans, recipes, portions, temperature control procedures and facility policies. Enhanced and maintained the central standardized recipe and ingredient repository, including nutritional and cost information. Changed and sanitized all cutting boards, benches and surfaces when beginning a new task to avoid cross contamination.
Created tasty dishes using popular recipes, delighting patrons and generating return business. Before each shift, checked freezer and refrigerator for temperature levels and to make sure they were functioning properly. Ordered food products needed to keep appropriate stock levels for planned meals. Enabled efficient preparation of signature dishes by preparing ingredients beforehand.
To protect people with food allergies and gluten intolerance, ensured utensils, preparation surfaces, and pots were kept separate to prevent cross-contamination from other items and foods. Continually supervised training and cross training of pastry staff for all phases of preparation. Developed recipes and menus in alignment with consumer demand and culinary trends.
Delivering products of the highest quality in terms of freshness, taste and consistency with strict adherence to USPH/FDA guidelines. Responsible for batch, a la minute and line cooking techniques.
Prepared and served meals following menus, diet plans, and food safety policies. Planned menus and managed costs. Oversaw stock, record-keeping, and ordering. Maintained and updated recipe repository with nutritional and cost detail.
Made the bold move to Ireland, bringing over a decade of African culinary excellence to the European fine dining scene and joining the prestigious Montenotte Hotel.
Assisting the head chef in menu preparation and kitchen management. Supervising kitchen staff and overseeing food preparation. Ensuring food quality and presentation meet standards. Managing inventory and ordering supplies. Maintaining kitchen equipment and enforcing hygiene regulations.
Continuing to innovate at Montenotte Hotel while mentoring junior chefs, developing signature dishes, and maintaining the highest Michelin-level culinary standards.
Celebrating over a decade of culinary mastery across Zimbabwe, international cruise lines, and Ireland. 88+ signature dishes created, multiple prestigious roles, and continuing to push boundaries in contemporary cuisine.
Let Chef Tkay bring over a decade of culinary mastery to your next event or dining experience.
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