Karla Swaenepoel
Brandon,MB
Summary
A talented kitchen leader offering over 5 years of experience in preparing and serving diverse foods. Motivates employees to exceed customer expectations in high-volume settings while maintaining strong quality and cost controls. Service-oriented with good multitasking, safety management and decision-making skills.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Production Chef
Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School
09.2024 - Current
- Oversee and manage daily kitchen operations, ensuring smooth and efficient workflow
- Lead and coordinate catering orders ("cater outs") from planning, and costing to execution, and invoicing.
- Order products and supplies in a timely, cost-effective manner
- Maintain accurate inventory levels and minimize waste
- Prepare and produce a variety of menu items for students and staff, including:
Daily specials
Soups
Breakfast items
Snacks - Manage time effectively to meet production and service deadlines
- Help supervise and mentor students assisting in the kitchen during lunch service
- Delegate tasks and provide hands-on instruction to student helpers
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe kitchen environment
- Ensure food safety and hygiene standards are consistently followed
- Collaborate with team members to keep kitchen operations aligned and productive
Store & Kitchen Manager
La Casa Market & Kitchen
12.2022 - 07.2024
- Delegated food preparation duties down to cooks and followed up with cooks to verify proper preparation and production of meals.
- Checked and tested foods to verify quality and temperature.
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget.
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning.
- Delivered in-depth training to workers in food preparation and customer-facing roles to promote strong team performance.
- Designed and maintained menus to offer variety of high quality and consistency of dishes.
- Developed and maintained professional relationships with suppliers to acquire high-quality ingredients and products with reasonable prices.
- Implemented and maintained food safety and sanitation standards to establish safe handling and preparation of food.
- Calculated prices of ingredients to monitor food costs and control expenses.
Cook
Okanagan Beach Club
07.2020 - 12.2022
- Took food orders from cashiers and cooked items quickly to complete order items together and serve hot.
- Prepared multiple orders simultaneously during peak periods with high accuracy rate, maximizing customer satisfaction, and repeat business.
- Created identical dishes numerous times daily with consistent care, attention to detail, and quality.
- Prepared food items in compliance with recipes and portioning control guidelines.
- Maintained clean and organized work areas at all times to bring safety and quality to food preparation process.
Sous Chef
Social Beer Haus
10.2019 - 07.2020
- Planned and directed high-volume food preparation in fast-paced environment.
- Mentored kitchen staff to prepare each for demanding roles.
- Coordinated with vendors to order supplies and maintain high quality standards.
- Monitored food and labor costs to verify budget targets were met.
- Worked closely with front-of-house staff to facilitate excellent customer service.
- Inventory management, and supply ordering to maintain fully stocked kitchen.
Sous Chef
The Metropolitan Grill
08.2018 - 10.2019
- Planned and directed high-volume food preparation in fast-paced environment.
- Mentored kitchen staff to prepare each for demanding roles.
- Acted as head chef when required to maintain continuity of service and quality.
- Monitored food and labor costs to verify budget targets were met.
- Inventory management, and supply ordering to maintain fully stocked kitchen.
- Coordinated with team members to prepare orders on time.
- Set up and broke down kitchen for service.
- Developed and remained accountable for safety, quality, consistency and adherence to standards.
Education
High School Diploma -
Food Safety Course Level 1
06.2012
High School Diploma -
Food Safety Course Level 1
ProServe
Skills
- Kitchen Management
- Purchasing
- Scheduling
- Menu development
- Waste reduction
- Nutritional awareness
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Inventory Management
- Reliability
- Food Safety
- Verbal and written communication
- Attention to Detail
- Cash Handling
- POS System Operation
Timeline
Production Chef
Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School
09.2024 - Current
Store & Kitchen Manager
La Casa Market & Kitchen
12.2022 - 07.2024
Cook
Okanagan Beach Club
07.2020 - 12.2022
Sous Chef
Social Beer Haus
10.2019 - 07.2020
Sous Chef
The Metropolitan Grill
08.2018 - 10.2019
High School Diploma -
Food Safety Course Level 1
ProServe
High School Diploma -
Food Safety Course Level 1
Similar Profiles
Dario DiNicoloDario DiNicolo
Volunteer at Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary SchoolVolunteer at Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School
Sandra ReisSandra Reis
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT HEAD at Notre Dame Regional Secondary SchoolHUMANITIES DEPARTMENT HEAD at Notre Dame Regional Secondary School
Parsa PadyabParsa Padyab
Volunteer at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary SchoolVolunteer at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary School
Sabbir HosenSabbir Hosen
Shift Supervisor at The Joint Cannabis ShopShift Supervisor at The Joint Cannabis Shop
Tripp MielkeTripp Mielke
Automotive Detailer at All About AutosportsAutomotive Detailer at All About Autosports