OUR TEAM

Ainsley Williams comes with extensive experience gained over the past 27 years, including the last three years as Resident Hotel Manager of Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa in Johannesburg.

After completing a BSc (Hons) in Physiology, she obtained a Civil & Commercial Mediation Diploma, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her career in the hospitality industry started as Banqueting Manager at Villa Via in Cape Town, before she notched up several years of experience as Food & Beverage Manager at various 5-star properties in Cape Town, including the Cape Grace Hotel, the Table Bay Hotel and The Bay Hotel, as well as Tsogo Sun’s Palazzo Hotel in Johannesburg. During this period, she also joined The Liz McGrath Collection for the first time, working as Food & Beverage Manager at The Cellars-Hohenort for two years. Later on, her career took her to KwaZulu Natal’s Hartford House for her first position as General Manager, before her move to The Pencil Club in Umhlanga where she was in charge of Operations and New Business Enterprises.

Ewald Schulenburg has been appointed as the Executive Chef at The Plettenberg. He trained at Warwick’s Chefs Training School in Hermanus and comes with 17 years’ experience. He started his career at Arabella Hotel & Spa, followed by Simola Golf Country Estate & Spa and Fancourt on the Garden Route, before his appointment as Executive Chef at The Cradle Boutique Hotel in Lanseria. This was followed by a stint at Brahman Hills in Nottingham Road/Midlands and most recently, at the Drostdy Hotel in Graaf Reinet as Executive Chef overseeing De Camdeboo Restaurant.

Schulenberg believes that ‘simple, clean and authentic dishes are best’. He oversees the kitchen of hotel’s newly revamped restaurant, Amelia’s at The Plettenberg where the menu is described as an exploration of flavours, ranging from seafood and grills to the classics. He also brings to the table a fresh take on signature dishes of The Liz McGrath Collection, such as the Bouillabaisse Seafood Soup, Dalewood Huguenot Cheese Soufflé and Pan Seared South Atlantic Ocean Tuna.