Media Release

VIVIEN HEEDS THE CALL OF THE KITCHEN
Vivian van Niekerk’s love affair with food started at a very young age. With a large, hungry family and a mother who loved baking, iit was inevitable that his career path would lead back to the kitchen.

I have 12 brothers and sisters, so, you can imagine how much food was prepared and consumed every week, says Vivian who has been employed as a Kagiso Khulani Supervision Food Services (KKS), executive chef for Vodacom Century City, Vodacom Techno Centre and the newly opened Ambition House, for the past year. KKS, is a specialist operating division of Compass Group SA, a leading outsourced catering company in South Africa. 

My mom was always baking the most divine milk tarts, apple tarts, cakes, etc. I took my cue and tried to learn as much as I could from her. My passion for food grew steadily.

Vivian began his career at the House of Parliament in 1984. Over the years he worked his way through the ranks, from second cook to chef and eventually acting head chef. I enjoyed my time at parliament, as we served a diverse group of people. I was present at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela, and also met people such as Winnie Mandela, the Queen of England, and many more high profile people.

In 2002, Vivian was employed by Tiger Brands as a brand activation consultant. The job entailed introducing Tiger Brand products to the hospitality industry. This experience showed me the benefits of using a superior product and building brand loyalty. Still today, there is no tomato sauce like All Gold once brand loyal, always brand loyal!

However, the call of the kitchen was strong, and Vivian moved back into a cheffing position in June 2005, when he joined Compass Group SA. In his current position, Vivian oversees the catering at the three Vodacom buildings, constantly staying abreast of any new food trends, maintaining halaal standards and extending the function portfolio. The team is also responsible for managing the catering at the Vodacom suites at Newlands stadium.

I believe that a good client relationship is a good starting point for any contract, and excellent service is what clients want. I try to always maintain this to the best of my ability, he says. I am happy to be with a dynamic company that really does have Great people (I am one of them) with Great service and Great results!