The eighth South African Young Chef of the Year relaunches with new competition requirements.
This year, South African deciduous fruit growers, Hortgro, are asking young UK chefs to submit one main course showcasing South African stone fruit. Six finalists will then experience a masterclass at London’s *High Timber, followed by a cook-off final. The final requires the young chefs to cook the main course they submitted and create a starter or dessert from a mystery box showcasing South African top fruit.
The winner will travel to Franschhoek, South Africa and join celebrity chef, *Reuben Riffel and John Norris-Rogers, Head Chef at *La Petite Colombe for a week’s split stage. The winner can expect to be fully involved in the running of the two award-winning restaurants, gain a deeper understanding of how each operation works, and develop their knowledge of South African fine dining.
2019 competition winner, Nikoleta Theofylaktidou, said: “When I found out about the competition I knew I wanted to take part, because South African cuisine isn’t something I’ve experienced. I learnt so much about how ethical and high quality the country’s produce is, as well as developing my knowledge of new flavours and techniques.”
Hortgro run the South African Young Chef of the Year competition to raise awareness of the use of South African fruit as chefs’ ingredients, and highlighting the part fruit farming has played in the development of South Africa and its rural communities in the past 20 years. The competition is part of an ongoing campaign to promote fresh produce from South Africa, including the flavour and season of its fruits and the positive ethical reasons for buying fruit from South African farmers.
For more information on the competition and to download an entry pack, please visit http://beautifulcountrybeautifulfruit.com/cook-south-africa/
