Abia Rakoma has been appointed General Manager of Town Lodge Menlo Park with effect from March 1. This is a promotion from his position as GM of Road Lodge Carnival City. He joined the City Lodge Hotel Group in 2007 as a Junior Assistant GM at City Lodge Johannesburg Airport, having come from the Court Classique Suite Hotel in Pretoria where he was the Front Office Manager.
Mondiall Kitchen & Bar in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront has appointed Executive Chef, Riaan Burger. Burger’s appointment coincides with Peter Tempelhoff’s departure from Mondiall. He will be taking on bigger challenges at The Collection by Liz McGrath, following Liz McGrath’s death recently. Restaurateur Patrick Symington will continue to run Mondiall as a solo venture.
Burger was born and raised in Johannesburg. Following a four-year apprenticeship programme at the Protea Hotel Wanderers and African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel in Johannesburg, he went on to further his education with a City & Guilds Culinary Arts diploma through Protea Hotels. In 2006 he joined the Westcliff in Johannesburg as Junior Sous Chef, before travelling to gain international experience with Crystal Cruises. Two years later he joined Arabella Hotel and Spa in Hermanus, where he was quickly promoted from Sous Chef to Executive Sous Chef. In 2010 he joined the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa in Cape Town as Executive Sous Chef.
At Mondiall, Chef Burger will launch a new menu in the autumn, keeping some of the restaurants favourites, while also introducing some signature dishes.