The Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) is excited to announce the appointment of its new Executive Chef, Warwick Thomas. Warwick, who has garnered recognition for his culinary feats, boasts extensive knowledge and experience of different culinary cultures, obtained through his worldwide travels. He also spent two months on the road cooking his way into the final 15, when he entered the Ultimate Braai Master, an extreme outdoor reality-TV cooking series.
According to General Manager for Operations and Food and Beverage, Aage Hansen, as a convention centre committed to creating memorable experiences, the centre was on the lookout for someone that would bring an extraordinary element to the CTICC’s culinary offerings. “In Warwick we have found the ideal candidate, who embodies the centre’s values of passion, excellence and innovation and is committed to raising the benchmark of the local food industry”, adds Hansen.
Warwick, who was appointed as the Executive Chef of the prestigious Pecanwood Golf Club and Resort at Hartebeespoort Dam at the age of 26, has extensive experience in high volume banqueting and conferencing, having headed up the cuisine offerings at various 5 star establishments in South Africa. Some of his accolades include overseeing the eight food and beverage outlets at the Sibaya Casino in Durban, fulfilling the role of Complex Executive Sous Chef and Executive Chef at the Sandton Sun and Tower Inter-Continental and Hilton Hotel in Durban, respectively.
Warwick is passionate about teaching and developing young people, keen to pursue a career in the culinary arts. In 2011, he started his own cooking school, which was geared at developing and training youth. His commitment and passion for his work resulted in him being appointed as Pick n Pay’s Fresh Food Specialist, where he was responsible for opening food concept stores nationwide and overseeing the management of the fresh produce bakery, deli and restaurant concepts.
“ Warwick’s extensive experience coupled with his enthusiasm for developing and designing organic sustainable cuisine makes him the perfect complement to the centre’s offerings. “We are excited to have someone of Warwick’s calibre on board, who will take our cuisine experience to the next level and help us achieve our vision of being one of the world’s leading long haul convention centre’s”, concludes Hansen.
