Born in Cape Town, Nosipho Mngoma has overcome the odds to pursue her culinary dream.
The 29-year-old hearing-impaired Mngoma has recently been appointed as pastry chef at Park Inn by Radisson in Cape Town.
“As someone who was always in love with the kitchen, I knew that my destiny would lead me to a career in it. I have always wanted to have this profession and worked towards this goal even during high school. I have done jobs that I did not want to do in the past, but with the unemployment rate so high I kept on persevering and would hand out my CV to every hotel in Cape Town. This eventually paid off for me as I was lucky enough to receive a job in the kitchen at Park Inn,” she said.
Mngoma said one of the biggest challenges in the kitchen was communication since hearing-able and hearing-impaired staff worked together, but she tried to keep calm as miscommunication did occur.
“We work with both hearing and hearing-impaired staff, so one of the biggest challenges for everyone in the kitchen is communication. Sometimes I may need something or someone else will need something from me, and we are unable to communicate effectively. One should never stop working towards his or her goal, nothing is impossible. Determination to reach your goal is key. No matter what happens along the way,” she said.