Gavin Curt Kilowan
Executive Chef
Cape Town South Africa ,Western Cape
Summary
I’m a South African born Chef that grew up in a hospitality household due to my father being in the industry for many years as a seasoned hotelier, with groups like Protea and Southern Sun. Did my training under a long stream of individuals that provided me with a solid classical training and foundation. I have always had the ability to push myself over the years to always excel in my career my hospitality journey in different countries widened my knowledge as well as my creativity and understanding. Throughout my journey with different cultures, I learned how to be a better leader, blending in difficult locations.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Production Planner
IFS
Mozambique
06.2023 - Current
- Creating menus for all camps under Total LNG and CCJV
- Training of chefs
- Ensuring all camps are allocated enough stock alongside logistic team
- Ensuring all Camps kitchens are HACCP AND ISO compliant
- Daily SMC (SITE MEAL Calculation) review daily in accordance to GP
Cluster Executive Chef
HBD GROUP PORTUGAL
Sao Tome Principe island
09.2021 - 09.2023
- Menu development, staff training
- Ensuring all Head chefs are up to date with latest trends
- Weekly food cost calculation on all lodges
- Implementing stock systems, budgets and sourcing suppliers mainly from Portugal and South Africa.
EXECUTIVE CHEF
PROTEA HOTEL BY MARRIOTT LAGOS, KURAMO WATERS
Lagos
10.2018 - 08.2020
- A four star hotel with 57 rooms
- 90 seater ala carte restaurant, poolside with 150 seater capacity, 2 banquets halls with 300 capacity
- My current duties is ensuring the smooth running of the whole F&B department, function coordinating, menu engineering, staff training, skills development and ensuring all supervisors receive training in cost management
- Currently 30 staff member under me
- Reason for leaving: personal reasons
EXECUTIVE CHEF /FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER
BON HOTEL GRAND PELA
Abuja
10.2017 - 04.2018
- A four star hotel with 90 bedrooms
- 100 seater restaurant 3 conference venues with 2000 pax capacity, night club, Casino and 100 seater poolside
- I had an overall staff compliment of 35
- Reason for leaving: was working 7 days a week due to owners instructions and it was really exhausting.
EXECUTIVE CHEF /FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER
DE EDGE HOTEL managed by LAC MANAGEMENT
Port Harcourt
10.2015 - 06.2017
- 95 bedroom 4 star hotel
- Restaurant covers – 100-250 (buffet-350)
- Staff under me – 35
- Cuisine – Mediterranean, Asian, eastern, European
- Managing all culinary activities of the hotel and outside catering
- Was also outsourced to other hotels and restaurants as culinary consultant in Lagos and Abuja
- Reason for leaving: relocated back to Cape Town
EXECUTIVE CHEF /LEAD CONSULTANT – PRE OPENING
GREEN LEGACY RESORT, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE
Nigeria
07.2014 - 10.2015
- The property, a 4 star rated, boasts 3 restaurants, Zoo Nightclub, 153 bedrooms and an auditorium that host up to 5000 people
- Restaurant covers- 300 (buffet 2000)
- Staff – 45
- Cuisine: Asian, Italian, French, Nigerian, South African
- Recruited the whole kitchen team, developed the opening menus, cards and training, set up of procurement department, sourcing new suppliers and setting up the whole F&B departments and implementing computer controls
- Reason for leaving: Pre-opening contract
EXECUTIVE CHEF- pre opening
GENESIS HOSPITALITY GROUP (THE SOLJOURNER HOTEL
Lagos
08.2013 - 07.2014
- Restaurant covers – 100 (buffet and outside catering 2000)
- Staff-28
- Cuisine – Italian, French, Nigerian, Mexican
- 90 bedroom 4 star hotel, 80 seater fine dining restaurant and terrace
- Mainly doing catering to oil companies
- Was in charge of the whole F&B department
- Trained all staff, implemented proper systems, portion controls, brought the cost down from 45% to 30% in a space of two months, create efficient menus for bar, terrace and restaurant
- I also headed the Lagos branch for outside catering, that could at times be for 1500 people.
EXECUTIVE CHEF
MARRIOT - PROTEA HOTEL KURAMO WATERS
Lagos
05.2011 - 08.2013
- A four star hotel with 57 rooms
- 90 seater ala carte restaurant, poolside with 150 seater capacity, 2 banquets halls with 300 capacity
- My current duties is ensuring the smooth running of the whole F&B department, function coordinating, menu engineering, staff training, skills development and ensuring all supervisors receive training in cost management
- Currently 30 staff member under me
- Reason for leaving: personal reasons
ACTING GENERAL MANAGER
10.2011 - 01.2012
- Due to the G.M being relieved from his Duties, I had to step in until a replacement was found
- In this period I worked hand in hand with the accounts and marketing team to achieve targets.
EXECUTIVE CHEF/F&B MANAGER (CONTRACT BASIS PRE OPENING)
KARTHALA INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
Moroni
07.2010 - 05.2011
- Restaurant covers -120
- Staff – 25
- Cuisine – French, Italian
- Was part of the opening team headed by a South African consultant/G.M
- I took charge of the whole F&B department, recruitment, sourcing suppliers, menu design, food and wine pairing
- The menu was a blend between eastern and French cuisine
- The hotel situated at the foot of the volcanic Karthala mountain boosted conference venues, 80 bedroom, 100 seater restaurant, 30 seater garden tea pastry section that supplied daily in-house freshly baked pastries.
HEAD CHEF (2010 WORLD CUP, CAPE TOWN STADIUM)
CHM (CONTRACTED BY FIFA)
Cape Town
05.2010 - 07.2010
- Staff -700
- Was head hunted for this position which was a once in a lifetime opportunity
- Headed 700 staff under me along the project manager, controlled the main kitchen with 47 outlets and outlet managers.
HEAD CHEF/F&B MANAGER
PRAIA DO SOL RESORT
Bilene
05.2009 - 05.2010
- Restaurant 150
- Staff -22
- Cuisine – Mozambican, Italian, German
- A 16 upmarket chalet resort, located along a lagoon in Bilene
- Created weekly menus, specials and wedding and birthday setup, also did all the financial statements for the whole f&b depart with weekly reports to the owner
- ASSISTANT LODGE MANAGER
- After the GM was released from his duties, I worked alongside the Resident Project Manager to ensure smooth operations, made weekly account records, purchasing, refurbishing of the whole lodge, bookings, constant training in Housekeeping, F&B, and Front Office.
HEAD CHEF/RESTAURANT MANAGER –pre opening of the restaurant
RESTAURANT ON THE VLEI, MCPHERSON GARDEN CENTRE
Table View
12.2007 - 05.2009
- Restaurant 80 seater
- Cuisine – day time Mediterranean bistro style (evening fine dining Italian, French rustic)
- Staff - 8
- Started off as a 20 seater coffee shop inside a nursery, which I turned around into a fully operational 70 seater restaurant, offering breakfast and light lunches
- In the evening I did around the world menu, which change every day, Monday to Friday, it was based on different cuisines and cultures, it was a big challenge but did it to educate my clients, staff and myself
- Had a 60% occupancy rate daily in the evenings
- We later extended and added a wedding venue that is up to date very successful.
SOUS CHEF
RESTAURANT 0932
Cape Town
06.2006 - 12.2007
- Restaurant covers 100
- Staff 4
- Cuisine – Belgium influence with a twist of Italian focusing on fine dining in a very rustic way
- High end fine dining, focusing on Italian cuisine, along side a Chef that was one of Jamie Oliver’s first opening Sous chefs for his Restaurant, and currently head chef of the Fifteen in Melbourne, Australia, working alongside the head chef on a daily basis improving culinary standards of all staff on the menu that changes monthly, and the evening tapas menu.
HEAD CHEF
THE AFRICAN TRAIN LODGE
Cape Town
03.2005 - 06.2006
- Restaurant covers 150
- Staff 12
- Cuisine – Cape Malay, Mediterranean
- Situated in a 45 bedroom lodge situated in Cape Town CBD with two dining areas catering for up to 100, mostly did corporate functions, create menus based on Mediterranean cuisine and buffet menus
- Spend my off time receiving training in management and acted as assistant to the GM by working part time in housekeeping and front office training on Fidelio.
TEPANYAKI CHEF
FUJIYAMA JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Cape Town
10.2004 - 03.2005
- Cuisine – Japanese
- I took on this position to gain experience and knowledge in the cuisine
- Through my training in the art of this cuisine as was promoted from the sushi bar as an assistant to become a Tepanyaki Chef, where I mastered the art of live cooking even though I spent such a short time at the establishment I excelled in the art.
HEAD CHEF
THE POLARIS (OILRIG)
Cape Town
09.2003 - 09.2004
- Catering 200
- Staff 15
- Cuisine – French, Oriental, Asian, West African
- From catering for them while in the dry docks of the harbour under the galley restaurant I was given an opportunity to head the kitchen staff and sail with them for 6 months, running the whole galley, ensuring all catering was taken care of, ensure we met HACCP standards.
CHEF INTERN (training)
THE ROAYL CAPE YACHT CLUB,GALLEY RESTAURANT
Cape Town
07.1999 - 09.2003
- I started my career here, got an opportunity to be an intern to train as a chef under three chefs for England, Poland and Scotland
- I did very intense training under the chefs for this period, during this period I got slowly promoted to chef de partie and running my own sections within the establishments, was in charge of big events and weddings
- The establishment boosted of a 80 seater restaurant serving contemporary cuisine, a 100 seater terrace serving daily bistro style dishes, and three function venues, events that was held there over the years are, the Lipton cup, Cape to Rio and the Puma twilight race.
Education
undefined
Aloe S.S.S Lentegeur Mitchell’s plain Cape Town
Skills
PRE OPENING, NEW SYSTEMS AND TRAINING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE ESTABLISHMENTundefined
Highlights And Achievements
- Private Chef for Hollywood Actor Nicholas Cage (2005)
- Private Chef on-site for Hollywood Actor Steven Seagal (2006)
- 2010 – HEAD CHEF AT FIFA WORLD CUP 2010 SOUTH AFRICA
Personal Information
- Available: Immediately
- ID Number: 801006 5249 08 9
- Health Status: Excellent
- Date of Birth: 10/06/80
- Nationality: South African
- Marital Status: Married
Dependants
3
Current Residence
Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
References
ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED INFORMATION IS TRUE, AND SHALL BE ACCOMPANIED BY REFERENCES UPON REQUEST.
Timeline
Production Planner
IFS
06.2023 - Current
Cluster Executive Chef
HBD GROUP PORTUGAL
09.2021 - 09.2023
EXECUTIVE CHEF
PROTEA HOTEL BY MARRIOTT LAGOS, KURAMO WATERS
10.2018 - 08.2020
EXECUTIVE CHEF /FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER
BON HOTEL GRAND PELA
10.2017 - 04.2018
EXECUTIVE CHEF /FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGER
DE EDGE HOTEL managed by LAC MANAGEMENT
10.2015 - 06.2017
EXECUTIVE CHEF /LEAD CONSULTANT – PRE OPENING
GREEN LEGACY RESORT, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE
07.2014 - 10.2015
EXECUTIVE CHEF- pre opening
GENESIS HOSPITALITY GROUP (THE SOLJOURNER HOTEL
08.2013 - 07.2014
ACTING GENERAL MANAGER
10.2011 - 01.2012
EXECUTIVE CHEF
MARRIOT - PROTEA HOTEL KURAMO WATERS
05.2011 - 08.2013
EXECUTIVE CHEF/F&B MANAGER (CONTRACT BASIS PRE OPENING)
KARTHALA INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
07.2010 - 05.2011
HEAD CHEF (2010 WORLD CUP, CAPE TOWN STADIUM)
CHM (CONTRACTED BY FIFA)
05.2010 - 07.2010
HEAD CHEF/F&B MANAGER
PRAIA DO SOL RESORT
05.2009 - 05.2010
HEAD CHEF/RESTAURANT MANAGER –pre opening of the restaurant
RESTAURANT ON THE VLEI, MCPHERSON GARDEN CENTRE
12.2007 - 05.2009
SOUS CHEF
RESTAURANT 0932
06.2006 - 12.2007
HEAD CHEF
THE AFRICAN TRAIN LODGE
03.2005 - 06.2006
TEPANYAKI CHEF
FUJIYAMA JAPANESE RESTAURANT
10.2004 - 03.2005
HEAD CHEF
THE POLARIS (OILRIG)
09.2003 - 09.2004
CHEF INTERN (training)
THE ROAYL CAPE YACHT CLUB,GALLEY RESTAURANT
07.1999 - 09.2003
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Aloe S.S.S Lentegeur Mitchell’s plain Cape Town
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