New at 101: Gerald Savigny

Monsieur Gerald Savigny is the new French manager of Restaurant 101 – Enderun.

With almost 20 years of working in the hospitality industry, he is imparting his experience, techniques and principles not only to the restaurant, but also to the students and employees of Enderun.

His staggering 20-year work experience in the hospitality industry started at a public hotel and restaurant school named Lycée Kyoto in Poitiers, France, where he took up a specialization in wine sommelier. His inspiration in pursuing hospitality was ignited by both his dad and uncle. His dad exposed him to different wineries during his childhood, thus prompting him to grow an interest in wines. His uncle, on the other hand, opened up his passion for the restaurant business.

After graduating, he started his career as a commis at a Waldorf Hotel in London where he became an assistant wine sommelier after two years. Afterwards, he served the required one year at the French army. Upon fulfilling his service to the French Army, he continued his career by working in different countries (Switzerland, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London, South Korea and Cambodia) to experience diversity. His immersion in different countries gave him an edge as he developed to be a reputable Food and Beverage trainer and restaurant manager over the years. Now at the age of 38, he has decided to settle at the Philippines and share a part of himself to us here in Enderun.

He first set foot in Enderun around the month of April. The first thing that came to his mind was that he was proud and excited to teach the students of Enderun where Restaurant 101 was his classroom because it has been one of his dreams to follow the footsteps of his teachers during his college years. He not only saw Restaurant 101 as a classroom, but also a roadway with a lot of crossroads: it has a lot of potential to reach its goals; a lot of challenges and decision-making to be faced along the way; and a lot of surprises as each day for him is always a different day at the restaurant. His future plans for Restaurant 101 include finding a fresh ambience and the right balance while he adjusts to the demands of today’s customers.

So far, he is constantly full of energy and passion, driven both by the school as well as the students, to do his best in Restaurant 101. He gives back this driving force to Enderun students through the knowledge, experience and inspiration he imparts to the students, which they will hopefully carry to their future careers. His message for students who aspire to be managers in the future is: “Never take anything for granted and never take yourself for granted.”