Six young chefs will represent Cape Town in the finals of the 2024 RCL Foods Young Chefs and Bakers Challenge, which will take place in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday October 3.

A total of 60 chefs competed simultaneously in three cities across the country, with 10 teams competing in both Johannesburg and Durban, and 10 teams in Cape Town. Each team consisted of two chefs.

Dzitka Links from Durbanville rolls the bread

In Cape Town, the 20 chefs competed in a heated semi-final at Makers’ Landing at the Waterfront on last Thursday, September 12.

The competing teams had three hours to bake bread, cook a main and a dessert out of ingredients provided by RCL Foods and a pantry of side ingredients.

In Cape Town, three teams received their golden ticket to the finals after a team of judges evaluated their courses on taste, presentation, technique, and hygiene.

Joshua Blanckensee from Bergvliet busy in the kitchen.

Finalists from Cape Town included students from Silwood School of Cookery in Rondebosch Aimee Dunn and Gina Kamps; Michael Botha and Liyah Jassat; and Annabelle van der Westhuizen and Luke Van Dyk.

First-year culinary students at Silwood Liyah Jassat from Mpumalanga and Michael Botha from KwaZulu-Natal took first place in the semi-finals and were thrilled to receive their tickets. “We didn’t even think we would win - we just came in with a good game plan.”

Winning team Michael Botha from KwaZulu-Natal and Liya Jassat from Mpumalanga cooking their mains.

Ms Jassat said there were a number of hurdles to overcome during the contest. “Some of it was so hard, but we are so happy we made it to the finals.”

Mr Botha said some of the challenging parts included the meat that came frozen, and unexpected ingredients.

“We didn’t expect risotto to be a compulsory ingredient,” added Ms Jassat.

She said their favourite part was seeing the dishes on the plates - especially the dessert - coming to life.

Mr Botha said they were also missing a mixer for the bread course and had to knead it by hand. “Hopefully we will have one in the finals.”

They both said they were very excited to compete at the finals.

Aimee Dunn and Annabelle van der Westhuizen, both from Gardens, were part of the other two teams who made it to the finals.

They were also excited to compete in the finals - but found the semi-finals to be “gruelling”.

“Mains went well, and then when dessert came, everything hit the fan.

“The fridges weren’t working, the ovens weren’t working... but we just went with what was on the plate and just stayed positive,” said Ms Dunn.

Ms Van der Westhuizen said she felt like she was like an angry person in the kitchen, but that overall, things went better than expected. “You just have to work with what you know, and the flavours that you know.”

Ms Dunn said the easiest meal cooked for the day was the main course, as her team had practised those, and incorporating the compulsory risotto had been fun because they had to think on the spot.

Ms Van der Westhuizen said her favourite ingredient of the day were the onions. “You have to love onions if you are a chef,” she said. However, she added, she had found it hard to use margarine because she didn’t often cook with it.

Ms Dunn said after she won a spot in the finals, she needed to take a nap and prepare for upcoming exams, while Ms Van der Westhuizen said she was going to have a celebratory drink.

The team which wins the finals in kwaZulu-Natal will take home R30 000, plus an additional R5 000 for their school. The second and third-place teams will be awarded R20 000 and R15 000, respectively.

The dessert course winners will receive an all-inclusive Chocolate 2.0 course at the Chocolate Academy, valued at R11 700, sponsored by Callebaut Chocolate. Teams that demonstrate exceptional hygiene practices will also be recognised with a special award from GeoChem.

As the competition heads into the final round, the chefs will be judged by a panel of culinary leaders, including James Khoza, president of SA Chefs; Coovashan Pillay, vice-president of SA Chefs, and renowned chefs Oliver Reddy and Luke Reddy.

Reflecting on the value of the competition, Chef Gregory Henderson, Competitions Director of SA Chefs and convenor of the RCL Foods Young Chefs and Bakers Challenge, said: “Every single young chef and baker who participated in the semi-finals has grown tremendously through this experience. Not only have they honed their skills, but they've also benefited from invaluable feedback from our esteemed judges.

“This competition is about more than just winning – it’s about growth, and that’s why every participant attended an exclusive master class hosted by the Chocolate Academy in preparation for today’s challenge.”

RCL Foods Young Chefs and Bakers Challenge is hosted in partnership with the South African Chefs Association

“By providing a platform for young chefs and bakers to showcase their talent, we are creating a positive, sustainable impact and are helping to foster cooking and baking expertise in our industry”, said RCL Foods head chef, Brad Kavanagh.

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Six young chefs who put their best plates forward, off to finals of cooking contest

Food Jam