“Monica joined Villa Rosa Kempinski in September 2021. Despite being deaf, Monica has managed to beat all the odds of life, stand out amongst the Pastry team, and exceed our guest expectations through her outstanding Pastry skills and service,” Betheul Ngui, Assistant Human Resources Manager at villa Rosa Kempinski Nairobi.
When did you join the Kempinski team and what do you love about it?
I joined Villa Rosa Kempinski in September 2021 as a Pastry Commis Chef. As a deaf Pastry chef, being engaged at Villa Rosa Kempinski has been a great learning experience which has nurtured my skills and broadened my experiences.
Our modern pastry experience and expertise has come a long way since they were first introduced. The deeply rooted history on the origin of pastry making is interesting. Cake baking and decorating has a rich history whose concept was later advanced into the presentation of decorated cakes to guests as part of their dessert menu which saw a range of innovations flourish within the cake baking sector. It is within this inspiration and line of creativity and innovation that makes me enjoy baking cakes, so it brings me great pleasure to be baking as this is my career.
My favourite and most memorable moment was when I had an interview with Citizen TV that created awareness to the world about my ability to deliver efficient service regardless of my disability which has hopefully introduced others to overcome obstacles and strive for the best results.
What are the people like at Kempinski?
At Kempinski, it’s all about people. The deeply rooted Kempinski DNA brings together the team into one family bound by love and care for each other which is well evident by the existence of good teamwork among us. The hotel has also invested in high-tech devices and kitchen tools that help us prepare and deliver the orders in time.
Additionally, my friendly colleagues and the work environment has made it very favourable for a person like me with a disability. It’s amazing. With Pastry being the most innovative section of our Kitchen department, we all work together to ensure that our products depict the right emotions to our guests. My favourite team moment is when we take a challenging guest request, come together to deliver our best and successfully exceed the guest’s expectations. For Example, The Ministry of health cake baking challenge is a good example.
An even more specific reference is made to when we received communication that we need to prepare a cake for the Minister of Tourism. This was not an easy task as we were not the only Hotel but other Hotels too in the country had been given the same task. We had to put our feet forward and as always, our cake was rated the best. This made me feel happy and proud because it was our combined effort.
Any notes or comments for someone considering joining Kempinski?
Most guests as well as most colleagues are unaware that I am deaf. Yet, I am able to work excellently with minimal guidance and supervision. Working at Kempinski has impacted my life positively by building my self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-dependence for my own survival as well as my professional life. It has truly been a growing and learning experience.
Also, in addition to being the apex of hospitality, Kempinski is one of the best equal opportunity employers in the hospitality industry having been ranked among the world’s best employers in 2021. Career growth at Kempinski is a priority to their employees which makes joining the family a privilege.