Recreation Africa

Meet Nicolene Nortjee

Nicolene is the Pastry Sous Chef at Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre & Spa. Her journey into pastry is an interesting one. You see, Nicolene started her journey at culinary school although she wasn’t particularly interested in cooking. That is, until the first time she ever stepped into the pastry kitchen and, in an instant, she immediately fell in love with pastry! The rest, as they say, is history. One of our pre-requisites for all those associated with our brand at Recreation Africa is passion and Nicolene, particularly when it comes to  pastry (desserts and cakes too), oozes tonnes of it.

One thing you didn’t know about Nicolene’s work is that behind every cake she makes, whether

it’s a birthday, anniversary, surprise gift or a baby shower; there is a story of the person who it has been commissioned for. This story influences her creative process to ensure that the cake reflects the person and personality. She simply loves this “behind the scenes” approach to her baking as it is always a pleasure to see the look on the face of yet another satisfied client.

Nicolene’s creative process has three tenants that must be upheld each and every time she prepares something and these are perfection; she strives for perfection in every dessert, happiness; it must bring happiness to the diner and improvement; it must always be an improvement on the last dessert.