Dipna Anand - CV

Background

Having achieved a BA First Class Honours in Hospitality Management with Food Studies, I was offered a Masters Scholarship from University. I am now a fully qualified Masters Student looking to broaden my skills in the Food Industry and achieve my goals and targets to further succeed in this growing industry.

Education

September 2007-July 2008

Masters in Hospitality Management with Food Studies
Achieved Classification: Pass Merit

September 2006-September 2007

Post Graduate Diploma (Leading to Masters) Hospitality Management with Catering
Achieved Classification: Pass Merit

2002-2006 Thames Valley University

BA Hospitality Management with catering
Achieved Classification: 1st Class Honours

1995-2002-Heston Community School/ College

2 A levels: Food Technology (B), Business Studies (C)
10 GCSE's grades A to C, including Mathematics and English

1990-95-Three Bridges Primary School

Work Experience

September 2008-present

Lecturer in Catering, West London College, Hammersmith

February 2007-present

Chef Lecturer, Thames Valley University

January 1999-present

Brilliant Restaurant, Southall. Assistant Restaurant Manager and Food Consultant

January 1999-present

Event Manager. Managing catering functions, in hotels for up to 500 guests. Managing in-house Banquets at The Brilliant Restaurant in Southall for up to 120 guests.

October 2002-Otober 2003

Tesco Osterley Park. Customer Service Assistant

Key skills

Team Working

Working with members of staff in the restaurant business, it is essential for me to co-operate and work effectively together in order to satisfy customer needs. Teamwork is vital, I take responsibility in organising other employees.
Learnt to work in a team at catering events, where I have delegated duties to staff.
Demonstrating professional team working skills as a University and College lecturer whilst working with other members of staff to plan lesson as well as working alongside kitchen assistants and chefs in professional university kitchens.

Leadership

Leading junior staff in the restaurant business by allocating tasks, organising banquets and functions, directing what needs to be done and deciding a suitable order
Motivating staff members towards common goals, aims and objectives
Completing tasks through delegation, using position power by applying influential strategies, working in the restaurant business I experience this on a daily basis
Setting performance expectations through leadership, planning discussion, encouraging continued involvement and work with team (staff members) to achieve desired results
Leading change: effectively exploring change, encouraging company to adopt better/more suitable business operations. Helping staff members to cope with change and increase productivity and processes in the business
Leading the BTEC module: Indian cuisine. I lead a group of 14 students in the Indian cuisine module I run at Thames Valley University, this requires me to use my skills of leadership for each of the lesson, both practical and theory based

IT Skills

Over five years experience of Windows and Windows-based programs, including Word, Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. Also experienced in using the Internet to research and sending/receiving emails.I prepare set menus, staff organisation charts, VAT charts and lists for catering events for my organisation.
Highly Experienced in producing Lecture slides/handouts on PowerPoint for lessons and lectures in University and College.
Experienced using Nutritional Analysis Programs, for example ‘Food in Focus’ to analyse recipes and ingredients. Carried out for the family business whilst menu planning as well as for personal experience whilst writing my Indian recipe book.

Confidence

From delegating responsibilities and holding staff meetings, my confidence level has risen and I am able to speak in front of large groups of people.
From winning an award for producing my own low fat recipes, from which I have got a lot of recognition via press, radio and television, I have become more confident when developing new recipes
Being a chef lecturer and catering lecturer for over two years and handling practical and theory lessons for up to 80 students, my confidence skills have significantly developed to a high level. I am confident whilst communicating teaching knowledge to students.
From winning an award for producing my own low fat recipes, from which I have got a lot of recognition via press, radio and television, I have become more confident when developing new recipes

Organisation

I have gained organisational skills by taking bookings for the Restaurant and outside caterings, I am able to organise/plan an event by preparing the necessary paper work.
Gained organisational skills from managing catering events in hotels as well as banquets where it is essential to keep to schedule. I believe in time management and have learnt to complete tasks.
Having completed two 20,000 word thesis assessments well on time and achieving high marks for each, I would describe my organisation and time keeping skills as exceptional. I am able to plan effectively and work proficiently on time.

Problem solving

Projects in University have involved the skill of problem solving, and I have learned to solve problems in more ways than one and then turn solutions into practical procedures.
Being an assistant Restaurant Manager, it is my duty to deal with customer problems when they arise as well as staff questions and queries. I am able to solve problems at work in a professional yet swift manner.
Being a lecturer, has also improved my skills of problem solving. Whether it is dealing with student assessments or solving problems whilst working in the student kitchens at university, my problem solving skills are prompt and effective.

Major Achievements

I now host my own personal website which portrays my passion for Food and the Catering Industry. Within this website, my achievements such as press articles and reviews can be viewed, my recipes for healthy Indian food can be seen, handouts for my college/university students can easily be accessed and my understanding and passion of Indian food and how it can be made healthy can all be understood.
I was nominated for a National Southern Jewel Award (2007) for the ‘Retail, Food and Franchise Category’ which recognises the achievements of men and women who have demonstrated an outstanding to the industry.
I completed a nine week television series for the BBC in September 2007 for Raymond Blanc’s television series called ‘The Restaurant You’re Fried’ in which I was a Restaurateur Judge. This involved me giving my opinions about how candidates on the show were performing and my opinions on how they were running their restaurants and what improvements they could make to their businesses (From an industry experts point of view). Each series was recorded live and televised thirty minutes after it was recorded.
Carried out food demonstrations in Lecture Theatres at University. Demonstrated how to cook healthy Indian food in Schools and encouraged children to pursue a career in the catering industry. This is something I do at various, colleges, universities and schools on a regular basis.
I Won a national award in 2001 for my A level Food Technology project for being the student with the highest mark in the whole country. The award was given to me from the examination board Edexcel on behalf of The British Nutrition Foundation. The project involved me developing dishes and then making them as if I were to manufacture them on large scale. In my case I chose to make low fat Indian dishes aimed at people suffering from heart disease problems and people trying to control their fat intake.

Languages spoken

Punjabi, Hindi, and English fluently.

General interest

Cooking
Computing
Teaching/Food Demonstrations

Additional information

Council representative for six years in school/college
Class representative (BA and Post Graduate Courses)
Radio Interviews (BBC Radio 1 and LBC Radio-Talks on Healthy Eating).
Television Documentaries on Healthy Eating
Newspaper write-ups (The Guardian, Evening Standard, Ealing Times, The Gazette and The Chronicle)

Other courses taken

Basic Food and Hygiene course-2008
Food and hygiene course-2002

My say

I believe in working to the fullest possible with all my heart, by continuing to think positively at all times in order to achieve my long term goals and aims.