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AT busy Pontac Manor Hotel and Restaurant changes are taking place to further the success of Paarl's premier four-star establishment.
Majority owners Tim and Deseré Orrill-Legg have now acquired a 100% stake in the business. Taking over the reigns is well-known Paarl personality and experienced hotelier, Sophie Barnard, who has been appointed as general manager of Pontac Manor Hotel & Restaurant with immediate effect.
"The decision to acquire 100% beneficial ownership in Pontac is a gesture of faith, not only in the hotel and its staff, but also in the region and in Paarl, in particular", says Tim Orrill-Legg.
"Since taking over the business in 1999, we have managed to establish Pontac as a premier venue in Paarl and are proud to say that seventy percent of our business derives from the local community.
Over the past two years more than a million rand has been invested with local service providers in upgrading facilities, including converting the former barn and outbuildings into a restaurant and meeting rooms, as well as the installation of individual air-conditioning in all rooms.
"We are delighted that Sophie Barnard is returning as general manager. In many ways it was Sophie who, together with our talented chef, Abe Conradie, put Pontac on the map when they opened the award-winning restaurant in August 2000."
After only one year in operation, 'The Restaurant at Pontac' was included in the prestigious 'Top 100 Restaurants in South Africa' by Wine Magazine and received numerous accolades from various food critics and restaurant reviewers.
In close co-operation with Abe Conradie, now promoted to executive chef and restaurant manager, the team at Pontac is devising innovative culinary events, whilst continuously enhancing the menu with seasonal specialities.
In an initiative to help develop local talent in the tourism industry, the Pontac Manor Hospitality Bursary Award was launched last year, in co-operation with Paarl College, offering a deserving student financial assistance as well as training. |
VAN Suid-Afrika se bekendste wynmakers en wingerdboukundiges het onlangs op die La Motte-wynplaas by Franschhoek 'n werkswinkel bygewoon, waar 'n Shiraz-forum gestig is om die kultivar se gehalte in Suid-Afrika uit te bou.