Fresh

FIRST
QUARTER

Express
2014

Food fo
r thought f
rom Tsebo Catering Solutions

Fedics Site Services

No menu too big. No table too remote.
Towards the end of 2013, 22 experienced Catering Managers and Chefs travelled by
bus to the Limpopo town of Musina, 517km from JHB, to support Fedics Site Services
(FSS) in staging their next biggest function. While all FSS teams are geared to set
up professional catering sites in some of Africa’s most remote locations, this was
something else...

The team would spend four intensive days at the De Beers
Venetia Mine setting up operations within three field
kitchens (in a parking lot) adjoining beautifully decorated
marquees. The occasion: a sod-turning ceremony for the
massive De Beers Venetia underground project, seen as
the biggest investment in South African mining in 25 years.
The logistics behind this event was mind-blowing but FSS
knows how to handle top-notch catering in remote areas.
With little more than a month of fast-paced preparations
Denis Hourquebie (Sales and Marketing Manager FSS –
Africa and project manager for this event), and David Keir
(Fedics Inland Regional Executive Chef) had the kitchen,
menu and meal planning ready in time.
On the big day of the sod-turning the FSS team, plus the
complement from out of town, arrived on site ready to help
pull it off. Start time: 2am.
The 300 dignitaries FSS were to serve included the
President of South Africa, His Excellency the Honourable
Mr Jacob Zuma; Susan Shabangu, the Minister of Mineral
Resources; Stan Mathabatha, Premier of Limpopo; MEC
representation from around the province, and both the
Chairmen and CEOs of the Anglo American and the
De Beers organisations.
Thousands of miners and
hundreds of our nation’s top dignitaries
were catered to in style.
In addition to this high focus and high security group of
clients, they also had to lay on 2 525 hot meals for mine
employees. Snacks and refreshments also needed to be
served to early arrivals throughout the long hot day .

g the Bran
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ite Serv

2 AM
The time our teams
2 625
Number of meals
300
VIP dignitaries A 3-course, 5-star
25 YEARS
Time that Tsebo has run
arrived on-site the served up for mine served including plated lunch served the nearby De Beers
day of the event. employees. President Jacob Zuma. to VIP dignitaries. Venetia VIP Guest Lodge.
 FIRST

page 2 Fresh
QUARTER
2014

Express

One team. One passion.

FSS recruited 25 waitrons from the Musina community
to assist in serving a three course, 5-star plated lunch
to the dignitaries. This team of locals received intensive
waitron training by FSS, to ensure the high levels of
service required for this prestigious occasion.

The logistics behind this event were

mind-blowing but Fedics Site Services
knows how to handle top-notch
catering in remote areas.
And what high levels they proved to be. Thousands of
miners and hundreds of the nation’s top dignitaries
were catered to in style, in a location where such
service could only be rapidly imported and successfully
implemented by the commitment, expertise and team
spirit of Fedics Site Services, supported by Management
and Chefs from other Tsebo Catering divisions. No
menu too big, no table too remote!
Members of the core FSS project team:
L-R: Siyanda Ndlovu (BDM), Andries Zwane (District Supervisor),
Denis Hourquebie (Sales & Marketing Manager), Samuel Lipali
(ISO Administrator), Bryn Coventry (District Manager), The De Beers
and Bruce Potter (Ops Manager).
Venetia VIP Guest Lodge
Our affiliation with De Beers in Limpopo goes back
nearly 25 years - Fedics has been operating the mine’s

Decades of De Beers Venetia Guest Lodge in its entirety for all this
time. From catering to housekeeping, cleaning and
special events management, we do it all - including

excellence... preparing meals daily to be transported from Musina

to the De Beers Venetia mine - 80 kilometers away.

ene
ers V tia G
Be

Fedics will soon celebrate 25 years

ue
e
Tsebo at D

st L
odge

25 Y
E A R S!
at De Beers Venetia Guest Lodge!
Two days into prep for the big event, some of our ‘out-of-town’ management and chefs took a welcome break to
meet
Tsebo withSolutions
Catering the FSSis team running
a division the Outsourcing
of the Tsebo Venetia VIP Guest Lodge. Heinz & Carika Beckman, the current
De Beers Group
managers, have been at this site for over a decade. To the left of Andrew St Clair-Laing (FSS Managing Director) are
the dedicated people who came in to assist in catering to the President and other dignitaries. To his right, the local
FSS team
Website: that runs the lodgewww.facebook.com/TseboOutsourcing
www.tsebo.com and hosts De Beers’ and Anglo’s top executives and engineers.
http://www.linkedin.com/company/tsebo-outsourcing-group
 FIRST
LTB Awards Ceremonies
will take place
page 3 Fresh
QUARTER
2014

Express throughout 2014!

In recognition of

live
the brand. valued staff
...who continuously make our brands their heartbeat.
Within Tsebo Group we have many brands of renown - but what gives them heart and soul is the way Tsebo staff
reflect their brand values in their interactions with clients, suppliers and each other. In recent Live the Brand awards
ceremonies, Royce van der Zwan (Group Marketing Director) congratulated Cape Town recipients whilst Disebo Thobye
(Group HR Director) honoured recipients in KZN, for making our brands not just brands to partner with, but brands to
admire. There are more awards ceremonies to come, so keep Living the Brand!

Franz Allers Zandile Gumede Colleen Chang Nobuhle Mthalane Lynette McDonald
Catering Manager FSA (Unilever) Project Manager Ward Hostess Catering Manager
(Old Mutual) (The Foschini Group) (Mediclinic - PMB) (Old Mutual - Exec)

Charmaine Govender Viona Waries Lesley Van Rooyen Jocelyn Daniels Margaret Gaines
Catering Manager (Engen) Snr. Catering Manager Catering Manager Catering Manager
with Jabu Ngcobo Catering Manager
(IR Officer - KZN) (Paarl district) (Rosewood) (TRW - Atlantis) (St Anne’s College)

F r e s h Innovative Valentines Day Promotions!

approach
Location: Bellville | Patrons: 4 500 | Fedics Sustain Staff: 70
Fedics at the Sanlam head office since 1990
Location: Bellville | Patrons: 4 500 | Fedics Sustain Staff: 70
Annetjie van Breukelen (Project Manager), Neil Clem (Executive Chef / Production Manager) and their team pulled
out all the stops for Valentines Day, with several promotions in the Sustain dining room attracting over 100 staff
bookings for the V-Day breakfast. Patrons went on to win all sorts of goodies, hampers and even a special 3-course
lunch prepared by Chef Neil. The hard working Fedics team had their own lucky draw on the day, and Lifestyles Cook
Maureen Karelse walked off with a delicious hamper!
Fedics at Glacier head office since 2008
Location: Tygervalley | Patrons: 370 | Fedics Sustain Staff: 7
Meanwhile, Annetjie, Neil, Chantel Thyssen (Catering Manager) and
their team at Glacier ran a fun promotion where patrons who spent to
the value of R40 at Sustain stood to win a glorious ‘Death by
Chocolate Cake’! The promotion was well received (the at Glac
and ier
Tsebo Catering Solutions is a division of the Tsebo Outsourcing Group
winner was thrilled) and patrons loved that our team Br
e

&S

dressed up. They also loved having Jack - ‘the sushi

Living th

anlam

guy’ - present to whip up fresh sushi.

Website: www.tsebo.com www.facebook.com/TseboOutsourcing http://www.linkedin.com/company/tsebo-outsourcing-group
 FIRST
Profiling the talent
Fresh that keeps Tsebo
QUARTER
2014

Express Catering fresh.

Chef’s pride
This edition, join us at the table with Tsebo’s accomplished
Executive Chef: Eugenie Ravenscroft
Fedics Business Select’s Eugenie Ravenscroft is Executive Chef for the
ABSA and Barclays PLC directors at ABSA’s HQ in Johannesburg.

Awarded, affiliated and on the cutting edge.

Graduate of SA’s prestigious Silwood School of Cookery | Elected to the Academy of Chefs
Twice voted Fedics Executive Caterer of the Year | Voted Fedics Chef of the Year.

Hers is a dynamic environment where Eugenie has carte
blanche, so long as she keeps serving up the best to her
high profile diners. It’s an extremely demanding role, in
which she and her team must hit the mark every time
and formulate dynamic menus. Eugenie works with three
chefs, function co-ordinators and support staff.
The key to success, she says, is understanding your
ingredients: “That’s how you learn to break them down and
go beyond the norm and SA offers so much to work with:
high quality wines, olive oils, cheeses and fresh fruit; plus
you can find all sort of exotic ingredients in local stores.”
In 2013, Eugenie’s accolades led world-acclaimed chef, Bill
Gallagher (Chairman of SACA) to invite Eugenie, along with
three other women chefs of high acclaim, to participate in
the “Chefs of Distinction” showcase dinner at Southern
Despite her success Eugenie never forgets where she
came from, and encourages young beginners. She and her
team have hosted many students from cooking or hotel
schools, giving them valuable exposure. Of course, says
Eugenie, they all need a serious love for food to succeed,
and the willingness to put in long hours. Because as the
saying goes, “practice makes…”.
Having worked with Eugenie I know she is
passionate about getting everything just perfect
and that’s exactly what happens at our events,
with each of the four courses being a masterpiece
of taste, flavour and visual perfection.
Dr. Bill Gallagher Chairman of SACA, past president
and honorary life president of the World Association of Cooks’
Societies, and food and beverage director of the Southern Sun Group.

Sun. The result was an incomparable dinner created out
of shared expertise and ingredients. Such events are
important PR vehicles for Tsebo, says Eugenie, while also
ensuring that partaking chefs stay on the ‘cutting edge’ by
continually challenging themselves.
Fedics Business Select:
The corporate environments Fedics serves are a complex
mix of demographics, preferences and spending habits,
within which Fedics Business Select caters specifically
to the white-collar segment. Its clients are top
businessmen and women who travel the globe, so our
culinary standards are of the highest.
Eugenie and her team at ABSA Towers
L-R Andrew Spinks (Project manager) Eugenie Ravenscroft (Exec Chef)
Tsakani Chauke (FSO) Khanyi Radebe (Chef), Gladys Nyabela (Cleaner),
Phineas Kadiaka (Chef) Justice Gama (Chef), Nellie Mlandzi (Function
Coordinator) and Chet Diepraam (FOH Manager).
Magnifique!
Look like a gifted chef by whipping up
this easy recipe from Chef Eugenie:
Strawberry & Cream Profiteroles
CHOUX PASTRY: 1 cup cake flour, sifted;
1 cup water; 40g butter; pinch of salt; 3 eggs.
METHOD: (1) Place water, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to the
boil. (2) Add the cake flour to the boiling water and stir with a wooden
spoon till a very stiff dough is formed. (3) Add the eggs to the dough one
at a time beating well between each addition. (4) Pipe small dollops of
dough onto a baking sheet and bake at 200°C in a preheated oven for
approximately 15 minutes till well risen and golden brown. (4) Remove
from the oven and cut a slit in each puff in order for the steam to escape.
STRAWBERRY FILLING: 250ml fresh cream; 30ml castor sugar;
60ml strawberry conserve/jam; fresh strawberries and mint leaves
for garnishing; 30g dark chocolate, melted; 30ml icing sugar for garnish.
METHOD: (1) Whip cream and castor sugar till very
firm. (2) Fold strawberry conserve into the whipped
cream. (3) Fill profiteroles with strawberry cream.
(4) Drizzle melted chocolate over the profiteroles.
(5) Present the profiteroles on a platter,
garnished with strawberries,mint and
icing sugar.
(6) Wait for compliments
to flow in!

Tsebo Catering Solutions is a division of the Tsebo Outsourcing Group

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