Enkusero Mara, Kenya — On-site French pastry training (case study)
Client Snapshot
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Property: Enkusero Mara — Maasai Mara, Kenya
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Duration: 2 weeks on site
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Kitchen: solar power, old gas oven, limited tools
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Focus: new dessert lineup, daily fresh bakes, clear documentation & schedules
A remote, solar-powered camp kitchen—upgraded to consistent, elegant desserts guests actually mention in reviews.
Challenges
Enkusero Mara faced several daily challenges:
- Limited ingredient supply
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Solar power with limited daily availability
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Aging gas oven and minimal baking tools
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Pastry handled by a cook without formal pastry training
- Cultural differences with varying norms
Solutions
We began by identifying which areas of the menu needed improvement. After a comprehensive review, we decided on a global approach and selected a list of recipes to incorporate into the menu, considering ingredient availability and guest preferences.
Key steps taken:
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Menu focus: selected timeless French recipes that adapt to seasons and sourcing.
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Equipment: added an electric oven; kept gas as backup for power cuts.
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Tools: provided an essentials list for the owner to equip the station.
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Training: on-site pastry training tailored to climate/power (no-risk fillings, safe holding, adaptive fruit use).
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Documentation: a recipe & training book with photos and step-by-step notes for consistency.
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Daily plan: schedules to batch smart, combine recipes efficiently and reduce waste.
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Upgrades: small tweaks to existing items for cleaner finishes and plate-by-plate impact.
Results
The training led to significant positive outcomes:
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New dessert lineup live by handover
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Team confidence & organization up (routines stick)
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Guest praise appears in public reviews within weeks
- Satisfied owner, confident in the improved dessert offerings for his guests.
- High quality, durable equipment.
- Differentiation from nearby competitors by offering fresh, crafted baked goods and desserts daily.
Testimonial
“I was looking for a pastry chef to train my resident chefs at a remote African Safari Camp in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya when I came across Charlotte’s Instagram handle. I was immediately struck by the clarity in her content “Accessible and uncomplicated French pastry recipes that could be replicated anywhere in the world”. After a couple of video calls I offered Charlotte a proposal to fly to Kenya to train my chefs. Charlotte curated a set of recipes using ingredients and equipment that could be easily sourced anywhere in the world. Over the course of 2 weeks, Charlotte displayed a tremendous sense of professionalism and pride in her work to completely overhaul our entire pastry and dessert offering at camp. I was blown away by the quality of the end products. Charlotte is a super friendly and easy going personality, but above all a consummate professional. She was able to improvise and adapt to the challenging conditions that were on offer. I’m grateful to have enlisted Charlotte’s services and will highly recommend her to anyone looking to learn the fine art of French Pastry making.”
“I really appreciated your efforts and support in regards to the pastry lessons we undertook together. I believe that the skills and knowledge you passed to me will do alone to improve my job. Thanks for your time and support for this project I have enjoyed much.”
“The impact of Charlotte’s pastry training at Enkusero was very impressive! I was able to visit the safari camp both before Charlotte’s training, and during. Before, the desserts were nice, but presentation was lacking and nothing was particularly memorable in terms of taste or diversity. Which honestly was understandable considering everything was being baked in the middle of the African bush in a solar powered “tent” kitchen! But I couldn’t believe the quality and diversity of desserts that the team made with Charlotte’s training — mini eclairs, buttery croissants, delicious homemade breads every meal, custards, even macrons, and so many other delicious treats… I looked forward to what would be served every day, and was continuously impressed with the level at which each pastry was prepared and presented. You could see the staff enjoyed what they were learning, and we got to see their creativity and confidence expand during Charlotte’s training as well. Even with challenges like frequent power outages, not being able to source certain ingredients, and a broken oven, Charlotte was calm, patient, and able to constantly adapt and be resourceful — no guest would have ever noticed anything was amiss. Having Charlotte’s pastries served at every meal was one of the highlights of my stay at Enkusero!”
“The food was really good. Chef Robert and Jennifer, the dessert person, cooked everything to perfection.It was the best four nights we have ever had! Would recommend to all!Thank you!!!!!!!”“
“Our last night barbecue was truly special with another Chef Robert win. Jennifer provided fabulous service and amazing desserts that we are still discussing at home. (…)“