The kitchen is heating up
PAULSHOF – There's a countrywide search for the best chef in the land.
Want to find the best chef in Johannesburg?
Well, you’re in luck because some of the leading chefs in the country were in Paulshof to compete in a regional leg of the Chef of the Year challenge.
The competition is hosted by Unilever Food Solutions and has been running for more than 40 years, according to Hanna Yen, the Unilever Food Solutions brand marketer. Participants in both junior and senior regional finals showed what they could do for this year’s theme, A Cut Above, in the Johannesburg leg of the competition.
Craig Elliot, the executive head chef of Unilever Food Solutions South Africa, said the company was delighted with the standard of this year’s recipes and contestants. “Our theme, A Cut Above, has inspired extra flair, as our participating chefs developed innovative new recipes that were a cut above the average.”
The junior team competed first and the eight junior contestants had three hours to cook three courses for each of the three judges. They were cooking for first place and its prize of R15 000. In the afternoon, the senior chef participants took their place in the kitchen, this time competing for the R20 000 winnings for the top-scoring chef.
Winners of both age groups will also earn their place in the competition’s nationals in Durban later this year.
Chriszelda Vercueil, mother of junior chef contestant, Amerae, from Pretoria, said her daughter wasn’t worried about the competition because that would not help her cook better. “She’s just going to focus on doing her best in the three areas that they’re judged on – organisation during the cooking phase, taste and presentation.
“My daughter is strong and confident and she loves cooking. Even as a child aged two or three, she would get on to the [kitchen] counter so that she could cook.”
Across the country, other contestants will also get to show off their passion for food. Regionals are also taking place in Cape Town and Durban, and the winners from each leg will face one another in nationals.
Winners from all three cities will be announced in the next few days.
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