About Me
Hello, my name is Natalie. Describing myself in a few sentences is hard. I’ll try anyway:
I’m a twenty-something knowledge-thirsty, idea-savvy, solution-oriented individual with a strong commitment to social justice and a big love for all things food.
I was born in Cyprus to a Swiss mom and a Cypriot dad. I read books in German, talk to pets in Swiss-German, dream in Greek, gossip in Cypriot, play Scrabble in English and watch movies in French.
I studied International Hospitality Management at the Ecole hotélière de Lausanne. That basically means I am able to manage and coordinate a lot of different projects, events, teams in many different industries, and especially well in hospitality.
I’ve been around the block, meaning around the world, meaning I’ve worked in a few different places like Hong Kong, Berlin, London, Zurich and a tiny mountain village in the Swiss Alps called Riom.
My biggest passion and main occupation (outside working hours and also during) is cooking and eating. In 2022 I launched an event-series called “Cypriotness” together with a friend, with the aim to create cultural awareness through food.
I aim to always be a positive catalyst, a friendly fellow human and the most authentic version of myself. Professionally, my aim is to combine business acumen, sustainable food practices and cultural awareness for a fairer way forward.
so far, so good
so far, so good
Cypriotness: In September 2022, Carolina Orphanidou and I founded “Cypriotness,”. Our goal is to embark on a culinary
exploration of Cypriot culture through private events, workshops and pop-up dinners. As we are a two-woman team, we do everything ourselves. My main responsibilities include all aspects of event planning, brand design, website creation and delivery of customer service.
2022 - present
CYPRIOTNESS DINNER SERIES
Zurich, Switzerland
For a full overview of everything I've done so far, scroll through my timeline below or
2021 - 2022
DasProvisorium
Zurich, Switzerland
My playground from 2021 until the end of 2022 was a former industrial bakery building in the heart of Zurich Binz. DasProvisorium is an association and food innovation hub with the aim to provide sustainable food business with a platform for networking, a co-working space and food production facilities. I was the lead for all administrative and operational tasks, developing a cohesive business strategy, and establishing strong relationships with clients and vendors resulting in increased revenue, visibility and growth for the company.
Summer 2020
Pop-Up Hotel Frisch
Riom, Switzerland
December 2019
Internship at
Forward Fooding
london, uk
At forward fooding, I got the chance to get an insight into the world of food technology. My responsibilities included content creation, social media management, and assisting with event coordination. I was also proud to contribute to the promotion of the FoodTech 500 list of best companies in Agrifood Technology.
january - april 2020
Farming projects in
south america
AUGust - OCTober 2019
Armenia, Georgia and iran
w hotel, Hong kong
feb-aug 2016
Summer 2020, despite its many unpleasantries, allowed us to host a 3 month pop-up hotel inside a 19th century noble house overlooking the village square of Riom, Graubünden. The ground floor of the house, and square around the fountain were also the premises for our very own wine bar serving a selection of 100% Swiss wines and small plates made of (super) local products. Our guests were able to enjoy the many events around the Origen Festival Cultural, as well as take part in a journey almost 200 years into the past by staying in the very authentically preserved “Haus Frisch”.
After an internship in Food Technology, where I learned a lot about modern agriculture and its shortcomings, I realised how disconnected most of us really are from where our food comes from. So I decided it was time for me to learn first hand about how all the delicious vegetables etc. I love to cook are grown, and who the people growing them are. I chose South America for its vast landscapes and diversity of ecosystems and cultures. Also, the perspectives of farming in snow-covered Europe were looking quite grim last January...
After completing my Bachelor Degree in June 2019, I was not really sure of what I wanted to do with all the knowledge I had just acquired. One thing I was definitely sure of, though, was that I wanted to travel far and long and experience countries I didn't know almost anything about. 3 months later I had seen so many new places, tasted my way through, in my opinion, some of the most interesting cuisines and met so many incredibly humble, helpful and positive people who inspired me to do more for the world around me.
Within 6 months, I made Hong Kong my home and the W Hotel a beloved workplace. My main focus there was in the Concierge department, which included location and restaurant scouting, tour and visa arrangements and basically everything guests needed. I learned a lot about one-to-one guest service, successfully building interpersonal and customer service skills and adapting these to guests from different cultures.
INTERNSHIPS
SEPTEMBER 2015 - JUNE 2019
BSc international hospitality management
lausanne, switzerland
SEPTEMBER 2008 - JUNE 2015
secondary school diploma
(a levels)
limassol, cyprus
2002 - 2008
JUNIOR SCHOOL
LIMASSOL, CYPRUS
I spent an amazing four years at the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne which opened my eyes to a world of opportunities. The bachelor program I followed was very management-driven, including mainly subjects like finance, economics, marketing and some HR related courses. The "preparatory year", however was mostly practical, working in kitchens, housekeeping and restaurant service. After 6 months on the campus in Lausanne, I also completed an internship in the concierge department of the W Hong Kong and at Deliveroo GmbH in Berlin in 2018.
Electives: Creating the Future of Food Service, Innovation Management and Brand Storytelling
Graduated with honours and a Consulting Award, for the best final year project.
I chose Berlin as the location for my second internship during my studies. Great decision! There, I worked for Deliveroo Germany in the marketing department. I assisted in all marketing activities including Content Creation (online & offline), Campaign and Strategy
planning, performance tracking as well as facilitating partnerships with restaurants and other brands.
Deliveroo gMbh
Berlin, germany
Feb-aug 2018
Ah High School. What a great time it was to be alive... Fun aside though, I graduated in 2015 from The Grammar School in Limassol, Cyprus with Honors and 6 A-Levels in Economics, Mathematics, History, Art, Literature and French. But what I probably enjoyed doing most was baking cupcakes for bake sales.
Primary School, where I learnt my ABCs.
I unfortunately don't remember much of what came before this, but my mother says I was a great baby.