Neil Ponsonby

Experience

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  Top Of The Town Hotel Motel

  Feb 1976 - Feb 1980

  Apprentice chef

  4 year apprentership

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  The Launceston Hotel

  Mar 1980 - Jul 1982

  Second chef

  25 room hotel with bistro steak house

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  The Savoy Hotel

  Feb 1982 - Feb 1985

  Commis-chef de partie

  Five star hotel with 200 rooms, my first job in Europe. The Savoy is a luxury hotel steeped in history. Hard school traditional French cooking built around Escoffiers traditional kitchen organisation plan. Continual VIP dinners with frequent visits from the English royal family, extreme focus on quality.Key tasks:• Luxury hotel, VIP dinners, Escoffiers French cuisine, Sbig kitchen operation with over 70 chefs. tradition, qualityF & B:• River restaurant• 10 banqueting rooms with 10-500 guests Show less

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  Operakällaren

  Mar 1985 - Jul 1986

  Demi chef- chef de partie

  My first job in Sweden my introduction to Swedish home fare and Swedish food and restaurant culture.Key tasks: Swedish home fareF & B:• Matsalen dining room• Café Opera• Butiken, Shop• Banquet 500 covers

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  Hilton Wien

  Aug 1986 - Jul 1988

  Commis - demi chef

  Five star hotel with 700 rooms, four restaurants situated at City ”Stadt” Park in Vienna. Big kitchen operation with traditional kitchen brigade. I worked at Cafe am Park and the last year in Prinz Eugen gourmet restaurant. During my time in Austria I studies German and returned to Sweden after two years.Key tasks:• Big kitchen operation with over 70 chefs, Michelin star, German.F & B:• Rotisserie Prinz Eugen, gourmet restaurant• Restaurant Cafe am Park• Banquet 1200 covers Show less

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  L'escargot

  Aug 1988 - Aug 1991

  Head chef

  Gourmet restaurant with 40 covers.Key Task:• Michelin star.Internalt and external activities:• Cross exposure at and theme week from Hotel de France, Auch Frankrike, 2 Michelin-stars• Cross exposure Ulriksdals Värdshus, 1 Michelin-star• Swedish theme week at The Savoy Hotel, London.

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  Källhagens wärdshus

  Sept 1991 - Feb 1992

  Head chef

  City inn with 25 rooms and gourmet restaurant. We had a fantastic Christmas smorgasbord, I returned to Australia due to low conjuncture in the economy.Key tasks: Christmas smorgasbord, Michelin starF & B:• Gourmet restaurant• Banquet 100 covers

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  Gold coast international hotel

  Apr 1992 - Oct 1994

  Executive chef

  Five star hotel with 300 rooms, situated in by the beach in Surfers Paradise, Australia. Asian and domestic tourist orientated hotel with big internal events. The hotel was situated in the middle of the Indy Car track for the annual Indy Car race.The Hotel had a very good internal training program.Key tasks:Themes, jazz festival, Indy car race, Asian food, leadership and training.Promoted to executive chef.F & B:• Margot's ”fine dining” restaurant• Patio bistro restaurant, ”all day dining”• Banquet 450 covers Show less

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  Sergel Plaza Hotel

  Sept 1994 - Nov 1999

  Executive chef

  Four star hotel with 410 rooms. My first job back in Sweden after a period in Australia. Member of the department heads group.Restaurant Anna Rella at that time was a flag ship in the Provobis hotel chain.Nyckelord:• Created new market sales oportunities by creation of banqueting food themes in conjunction with the local diplomatic corps.• Rebranding from Reso Hotels to Provobis HotelsF & B:• Anna Rella restaurant• Conference• Banquet 200 coversInternal/external Activities:• Australian theme week at The Savoy Hotel, London, England. Show less

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  Berns

  Aug 1999 - Nov 2001

  Executive chef

  Boutique hotel with 65 rooms. Part of the reference group involved in rebuilding the kitchen and developing food concepts together with the Conrad restaurant group London and Grand Hotel Holdings in Stockholm.Continous change in the concepts during my employmentKey tasks:• Concept ”100 % Terrence Conran concept from London.”• Recruiting & staff control, we opened with 44 chefs in the kitchen, continuous adjustments to the market and concept changes during my two years led to a reduction to less than 30 chefs.F & B:• Restaurant, 300 covers, ”Euro Bistro” with shellfish raw bar• Bar and Grill, 100 covers Restaurant, rebuilt to lounge bar• Café, 45 covers• Summer terrace, 90 covers• Restaurant ”Calle P” summer restaurant, 150 covers• Banquet and conference, 600 coversInternal/external Activities:• Cross exposure within Conrad Restaurant Group London (Quaglinos, Blue Bird, Mezzo),• Two week Australian theme week on Birka Cruises, Stockholm-Åland Show less

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  Hilton Stockholm Slussen

  Dec 2001 - Jun 2012

  Executive chef

  Five star hotel with 294 rooms. International hotel enviroment. Part of the executive team and part of the budget team responsible for departmental purchasing and wage costs. Part of Hilton’s executive chef’s breakfast quality, production and proffit evaluation group.Executive chef during rebranding from Scandic Crown Hotel to Hilton Stockholm Slussen 2002.Key tasks• Rebranding, team building, breakfast, purchasing.Food & Beverage:• Eken’s restaurant 80 covers. Predominately Swedish restaurant with international favorites and Hiltons concept dishes.• Eken’s bar 70 covers + 100 cover summer terrace. Bar with snacks and fast food as well as a smaller a la carte selection. Themed Summer terrace menu’s.• 15 Conference rooms, as well as an auditorium for 300 guests Conference options followed Hilton’s conference and meetings concept.• Banqueting up to 200 covers.Internal/External Activites• Swedish promotions in Hilton Tokyo, Beijing och Munich.• Cross exposure at Rick Stein restaurant in Padstow England.• Hilton Vantaa Airport Hotel, Helsinki, part of the kitchen opening team.• Australian theme week at Hilton Stockholm Slussen. Show less

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  Quality Friends Hotel / Arena

  Jun 2012 - Jul 2013

  Executive Chef

  Quality Hotel Friends is a part of the Nordic Choice concern and is a newly built business with 399 rooms situated in Arena Staden, Solna. The food and beverage drift is centered on three floors linking together hot and cold kitchens with service and delivery to both Quality Friends Hotel and Friends Arena, Sweden’s new national football arena.Friends Arena92 VIP boxes from 10 to 130 guests: lodge catering is delivered from 6 satellite kitchens.Carlsberg Bar: a sports bar with 800 meals on an event dayBanqueting up to 1800 covers: The banquet room is served from two kitchens.Restaurang norr: a bistro buffé 350 covers.Center Line Club: a small VIP room with its own arena balcony, 50 covers.Personall restaurant: up to 800 meals per event day.Catering on the football pitch: Our largest single day event was 7500 Swedish Christmas table.Quality Friends HotelFirst Moment: Lobby cocktail bar with a limited menuIn Between: Breakfast and conference lunch dining room, 350 coversOn Top: Signature restaurant on the 25th floor, a modern designer restaurant with focus on seasonal Swedish food.Conference: 10 modern conferance rooms and break out banqueting for 200 covers. Show less

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  Clarion Hotel Sense

  Nov 2013 - Jan 2014

  Executive Chef

  Task force executive chef Hotel opening-Temporary position to manage hotel openingKey tasksEstablish routines and standards related to all F&B outlets.Manage and train personal. Quality control, coordinate Kitchen and Table restaurant concept.Clarion Hotel SenseKitchen and Table restaurant 150+ concept restaurantSky bar, restaurant/bar 150 guestLiving room, lobby barextensive conference facilities.

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  Pite-Havsbad

  Feb 2014 - May 2014

  Project Coordinator "Kitchen"

  Coordinate and drive off season food and beverage projects in to the comming 2014 summer season

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  NEPO kitchen consulting

  May 2014 - now

  Owner, project leader

  Hands on kitchen, restaurant & hotel consulting

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  PreOpening

  Mar 2016 - Aug 2017

  Consultant

  Restaurant and hotel concept development

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  Swedish Pavillion Expo 2020

  Sept 2021 - Apr 2022

  Executive Chef