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Lientjie breaks the mould
LIENTJIE Lodewyk, a San trainee chef at N/a’an ku se Lodge, won third place in the recent Junior Chef of the Year competition organised by the Namibia Chefs’ Association.
Lodewyk was born at Gobabis but grew up at Plessisplaas, a small village where her mother was employed in the local shop. She attended the Gqaiha Primary School for San children and completed her schooling at the Johannes Dohren High School in Gobabis.
After school she was sitting around at home when her mother got her a job as waitress at N/a’an ku se after performing with a cultural group at the opening of the lodge.
When lodge manager Rhona Strauss announced that she could no longer handle the kitchen by herself and that she needed a trainee chef, Lodewyk jumped at the opportunity.
She had only been cooking for three months when Strauss entered her into the Junior Chef of the Year competition.
“I gave it my best and came third,” said a very proud Lodewyk.
“My dream is to become a chef and cook very good food for the guests. I also want to become as famous as my manager, Rhona. I am so happy that I have ended here at the lodge and I know for sure what I want to be in life.”
N/a’an ku se was started in 2004 by Rudi and Marlice van Vuuren, with financial backing from Jan Verburg and Burgland Charitas.
The idea behind the lodge is to make a difference in the lives of poverty-stricken San communities in Namibia.
There are currently 23 San families employed in various positions at the lodge and wildlife sanctuary, including leisure, hospitality and general farm work.
The lodge also supports the Lifeline Clinic at Epukiro, where last year alone over 2 200 San people received free medical care.
