Cooking up a storm in the Manyeleti!

Being a chef was not in Carol Sibuyi's plans. Her dream was to be a teacher.  Her father, a farmworker, suggested she go to chef school after she matriculated from school with the idea that she could earn money as a chef with which to pay for university and her teacher's qualification.

That she has fallen in love with cooking along the way is a happy accident, she says! She has also fallen in love with the Manyeleti and the African wilderness and all of the amazing wild animals that call it home.

Born and raised in the village of Kashorty near Hluvukani, Carol is just 22 years old. She was 20 when she started at Pungwe in 2021 and has impressed us with her incredible work ethic and considerable culinary talent.

"At first I was very afraid of working here," she laughs. "I thought the wild animals were going to kill me. But I have learned and now I am much braver, even when there are elephants and lions in camp," she giggles, confessing that she used to run from hyenas hanging around the kitchen.

She loves interacting with Pungwe's guests and gets a real buzz out of preparing fabulous food for them. "My favourite to make is carrot cake and I also love making individual crustless vegetable quiches, but I also like the fact that I get to cook around the campfire a lot and chat to the guests when I present their meals to them."

Working in tourism has impressed Carol, especially in the way that it benefits the local communities around the Manyeleti. "This camp is doing very good work for the local people here," she says. "Not just with the jobs, but also with the conservation and the creche, and also the schools it worked with especially during COVID19," she adds.

"All of us here at Pungwe come from around here, close to the Manyeleti. Before I came to work here, I had not been to the Manyeleti and I did not know anything about wildlife, conservation or how important it is that we protect this land. Now I understand," she says, nodding her head wisely.

Carol was planning on starting a teaching course in the new year, but her love of Pungwe has tugged at her heartstrings and she has made an important life decision, electing to stay with us indefinitely and focus on her culinary skills.

"Pungwe is a wonderful place. It's very cool and we are all like a family here. In fact, this is my second home and my second family, and it will always be a special place for me. It has given me a big opportunity as well, and I want to see where that takes me, learning as much as I can and continuing to apply myself to being the best chef I can be," she says.