Chef Katlego Mlambo, Siba Mtongana and Chef Wandile Mabaso big winners at the 2022 Luxe Restaurant Awards. Picture: Supplied
Hosted in the ever so stylish Ethos restaurant, the fourth annual Luxe Restaurant Awards took place on Tuesday evening to honour the best in South Africa’s culinary talents.
Over the last few years, the Luxe Restaurant Awards has celebrated the best in food and hospitality making sure to take a moment to salute an industry that has faced a number of obstacles.
Nominated and judged by anonymous food critics and The Hospitality Counsel the winners and categories were very diverse, something many people were pleased to see.
As guests dressed in their best opulence and evening attire, this award show may need to set the precedence as the announcement of the winner’s speech was quicker than Will Smith’s at this year’s Oscars, which was over five minutes long.
The speeches from all the winners were short and sweet as the energy and passion from the restaurant industry was palpable.
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What was most notable from the winning chefs and owners is how appreciative they are of their teams and staff for making them the best places to dine in the country.
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One of the big awards on the night was Wandile Mabasa, who was awarded Chef of The Year.
The Les Creatifs head chef and owner did not expect it.
During his acceptance speech, he said this Luxe recognition is special, as it is his first culinary award in South Africa after spending over a decade overseas.
Other notable winners were Siba Mtongana who received the Culinary Icon Award, who reiterated there “was nothing sweeter than being recognised back home and I really cherish this award. It is not easy, especially with Covid-19 but I really think we [resturants] have braved one of the strongest storms.”
The popular TV chef has had successful Food Network shows, cookbooks and her Cape Town eatery, Siba’s Restaurant last year. She added that the industry will continue to raise the bar to the next level.
Nicky van der Walt’s popular Asian fusion restaurant Tang in Sandton won Lifestyle restaurant of the year and he thanked his peers for pushing the boundaries as this is a reward for consumers.
La Colombe walked away with a few awards including Restaurant of the ear and wine service of the year. Popular cookbook author and food personality Mogau Seshoene known as Lazy Makoti won Cookbook of the Year for Hosting with The Lazy Makoti.
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