Meet the Manager: Genevieve Afonso

Those of you that visit the Lincoln College-run Old Bakery on a regular basis will know that we’ve had a change of Manager in the last three months and Gen, our Restaurant Manager, has been making a fantastic impact already. 

Originally from South Africa, Gen brings years of experience with her, working in a whole host of jobs within hospitality from the age of 13. 

“I helped run a coffee business with my family when I was a teenager, and I've done a lot of work experience in some truly stunning locations. 

“After that I worked part-time as a waitress in fine dining while I was at College studying to be a chef. 

“I got my first chef job as a commis chef at a boutique hotel where I worked my way up to Pastry Chef de Partie, eventually managing the whole Pastry section.  

“After moving to Lincoln in 2018 I spent about three years working as the cook at a tearoom and baking dozens of cakes a week.  

“Fancying a change of career, I left to work at Deans Sport & Leisure, which is also part of Lincoln College as a Duty Manager and fitness instructor. I stepped in to cover the previous manager's holiday and now I've moved up to The Old Bakery permanently.” 

Gen sees her appointment at The Old Bakery as a chance to bring all the strands of her experience together and is excited for what the future holds. 

“Joining when I did in October was amazing as we had a record month and it showed me just how busy we can get. We have a great team, as Phil our Head Chef has been here and established himself, I don’t feel that menus or the food we serve needs my influence, but I’m very interested in developing our links with local businesses and suppliers.” 

Gen has been developing themed nights already and focusing on bringing the community in. 

She adds: “I’d love to get more local people in as we are in a fantastic place here so close to the castle, but I’d also like to get students from the College more involved. We already do Student Takeover nights, but I’m keen to get them up here more often. Several of the learners we’ve had up here have said they’d love to attain their 30 hours of work experience up here, so that can only be a great sign!” 

So, what’s Gen’s favourite dish at The Old Bakery? 

“That’s a tough choice,” she says, “but our new menu has some great choices, the rhubarb cured salmon is delicious and our new plaice dish is incredible, it combines elements like samphire, grapes, apple puree and hazelnuts to really make a stunning looking and great tasting option. I’d urge anyone who loves seafood to sample it.” 

Want to sample The Old Bakery’s latest menu? Book here to visit.