Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Languages
Timeline
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Genevieve Knights

Titirangi,AUK

Summary

I have worked in the food industry my whole life. Starting as a chef in many of Auckland's leading restaurants, I moved onto self-employed food writing and recipe development followed by setting up my own award-winning food manufacturing business "Genevieve's", which I successfully built and ran for over 10 years.

While building my business, I developed many skills including writing a full Food Safety Control Plan and developing new products from concept to sitting on the shelf of major retailers.

I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of recipe development and innovation, which has been recognised in the award programs. I love to source novel ingredients, exclude preservatives and additives whenever possible all while taking into account food safety and risk management, within time and on budget.

My team leadership skills have also developed, including employment contracts, coordinating diverse teams, team supervision, project coordination and analytical problem-solving skills.

Overview

34
34
years of professional experience

Work History

General Manager/Director of Operations

Genevieve's
01.2011 - Current
  • Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules, and contract negotiations.
  • Interacted well with customers to build connections and nurture relationships.
  • Recruited, hired, and trained initial personnel, working to establish key internal functions and outline scope of positions for new organization.
  • Tracked employee attendance and punctuality, addressing repeat problems quickly to prevent long-term habits.
  • Introduced new methods, practices, and systems to reduce turnaround time.
  • Maximized efficiency by coaching and mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, company procedures, and technology systems.
  • Implemented innovative programs to increase employee loyalty and reduce turnover.
  • Monitored financial performance, set budgets and controlled expenses to provide financial stability and long-term organizational growth.
  • Reduced financial inconsistencies while assessing and verifying billing invoices and expense reports.
  • Monitored daily cash discrepancies, inventory shrinkage and drive-off.

Senior Product Developer

Genevieve's
01.2011 - Current
  • Managed supply chains while sourcing material.
  • Established strong network of industry connections, facilitating collaboration on key projects and partnerships.
  • Devised brand and product strategies to drive client satisfaction.
  • Managed project timelines to ensure on-time delivery of high-quality products.
  • Negotiated contracts with suppliers and vendors, obtaining favourable terms for cost-effective resource allocation.
  • Improved product quality by implementing rigorous testing procedures and refining development processes.
  • Wrote comprehensive user manuals for new products and additional technical documentation.
  • Researched and identified best-fit materials for new products.
  • Developed innovative products for increased market share and customer satisfaction.
  • Documented each step in product's design process for use in manuals.
  • Optimized existing products through continuous improvement initiatives, enhancing performance and user experience.
  • Identified market trends to guide product development strategies, resulting in competitive advantage.

Food Writer & Recipe Developer

Self
01.2004 - 01.2011
  • Developed recipes for food companies such as Tatua, Krispkut, Food Direct and Nestle
  • Wrote editorial recipes for magazines including Cuisine, Food Magazine (Foodtown) and NZ Golf magazine
  • Published three cookbooks - 1 published by Penguin and 2 self-published
  • Personal chef - created menus and provided for elite meetings and ocassions.
  • Menu consultancy - advised and delivered menus for restaurants which reduced food cost while improving product quality.

Chef

Various
01.1990 - 01.2010
  • Austins Catering - 2 years (Kitchen Hand / Chef de Partie)
  • The French Café - 1 year (Chef de Partie)
  • Veranda Bar & Grill - 2 years (Sous Chef)
  • Wheeler’s Restaurant - 6 months (Sous Chef)
  • The French Café - 1 year (Sous Chef)
  • GPK - 8 years (Chef de Partie / Sous Chef / Head Chef)
  • Mantells - 5 years (part-time on-call)

Education

706/1 706/2 - Chef Training

Auckland AUT
Auckland, NZ
11.1992

Skills

SKILLS

  • Product Concepts
  • Product Development
  • Source Novel Ingredients
  • Food Control Plan Creation
  • Process Automation
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Client Account Management
  • Staffing
  • Staff Induction and Training
  • Staff Management
  • Administrative Management

AWARDS

2023 New Zealand Food Awards

Finalist for Excellence in Innovation

2020 Outstanding Food Producer Awards

Gold Medal for Genevieve's Oyster Mousse (pate)

2019 Outstanding Food Producer Awards

Gold Medal for Genevieve's Scallop Mousse

Silver Medal for Pam’s Finest Saffron & Ricotta Pasta Sauce (Supermarket Home Brand)

Bronze Medal for Pam’s Finest Almond & Olive Pasta Sauce (Supermarket Home Brand)

Bronze Medal for Genevieve's Saffron & Orange Vinaigrette

2018 Outstanding Food Producer Awards

Winner (From the) Water Champion for Genevieve's Oyster Mousse (pate)

Gold Medal for Genevieve's Oyster Mousse (pate)

Sliver Medal for Genevieve's Truffle Duck Pate

Silver Medal for Genevieve's Chicken pate

2016 New Zealand Food Awards

2016 Finalist Gourmet Section NZ Food Awards

2016 West Auckland Business Awards

2016 Finalist for Excellence in Innovation

2015 New Zealand Food Awards

Finalist for Food Safety and Quality

2015 New Zealand Innovation Awards

Winner in Food & Beverage

2014 New Zealand Food Awards Winner

2014 Finalist for Excellence in Innovation

2014 Winner for Food Safety and Quality

2014 West Auckland Business Awards

Finalist for Excellence in Innovation

Finalist Best Emerging Business

2013 West Auckland Business Awards Winner

Winner for Research and Development

2013 Finalist for Best Emerging Business and Social Responsibility

2012 Cuisine Artisan Award

Winner

See ABOUT info on my LinkedIn for Products designed and brought to market

Languages

Japanese
Limited Working

Timeline

General Manager/Director of Operations

Genevieve's
01.2011 - Current

Senior Product Developer

Genevieve's
01.2011 - Current

Food Writer & Recipe Developer

Self
01.2004 - 01.2011

Chef

Various
01.1990 - 01.2010

706/1 706/2 - Chef Training

Auckland AUT

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Genevieve Knights