From homeless to chefdom
WESTDENE – Alfred Nqayi was once homeless but has chased his dreams of being a pastry chef and has repeatedly shone in the spotlight.
The saying usually goes, ‘from rags to riches’, but it’s been, ‘from homeless to celebrity chef’ for 27-year-old Alfred Nqayi.
During an interview before a live cooking broadcast, Nqayi told the Northcliff Melville Times that he spent half his life on the streets before being recorded mixing batter and baking up a storm.
He said he grew up on the streets in the communities of Westbury and Brixton. He explained that he has always had a passion for food and started out baking biscuits at the Westbury Community Centre.
While his baking days go far back, he only really took food seriously in 2010 when he was interviewed for an article in the People magazine.
“They really gave me a platform to share my cooking, to show people what I’ve got, you know?” he said.
In 2013 while he was looking for work, he sold his baked goods at St George’s Church and was discovered by a 702 Radio personality. His career was on the rise and later he met celebrity chef, David Higgs.
“David Higgs introduced me not just to the culinary world but to fine dining,” Nqayi said.
He then briefly worked with Higgs at the Saxon Hotel as a junior or trainee pastry chef.
After his opportunity at the Saxon, he went to the United States and worked as a chef in Florida. He explained that he only returned to South Africa in September last year.
Upon his return, he became involved with a pop-up restaurant, The Furnace at Melville Wellness Centre in Westdene, which officially kicks off on 24 February.
During his journey, he also contributed to a Food and Home cookbook and worked to get a culinary qualification while working as a chef’s assistant and a student at the same time.
Nqayi has worked with the likes of Minette Smith, Candice Phillips, Stephen Billingham, Cherry Pin and Rejoice Moyo (Hilton). He explained that all the chefs he’s worked with have been his inspiration and ultimately helped him reach for his dream.
In the process of working with the above chefs, Nqayi has slowly but surely made his mark in the culinary world as well as in the media.
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