SA Culinary olympics team brings home medals
The Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane congratulates South Africa’s Culinary Olympics Team, which showed off its full hand through talent and taste perfections in the biggest international culinary arts competition in Stuttgart, Germany this week.
Team SA returns home tomorrow from the 25th IKA Culinary Olympics with three bronze medals after competing with 2000 chefs from 70 countries.
The Springbok squad, as they are affectionately known, competed in two categories; the Chef’s Table, entailing seven different dishes for twelve people and the Restaurant of Nations, a three-course menu for 110 people.
“South Africa’s participation in this globally acclaimed culinary event has firmly placed the country on the culinary world stage which should be celebrated by all South Africans. We congratulate them for a job well done and are proud of their achievements as they showed off their culinary abilities and highest level of dedication in this renowned competition, under the auspices of the SA Chefs Association (SACA),” said Minister Kubayi-Ngubane.
The department is particularly thrilled that one of the graduates of our National Youth Training Programme (NYCTP), Sifiso Chiziane, formed part of the 2020 culinary team.
“We partnered with South African Chefs Association in training the youth through NYCTP and Mr Chiziane is one of more than 2400 youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who have been given life changing opportunities through the programme. I hope this serves as motivation to other young chefs in our the sector,” said Minister Kubayi-Ngubane.
Mr Chiziane is currently employed at the Johannesburg-based African Pride Restaurant in Melrose Arch and works under the mentorship of Chef Adrian Vigus-Brown.
Over the past 40 years, SACA has scooped bronze, silver and gold medals for the country at the Culinary Olympics, placing South Africa firmly at the forefront of culinary global standards. The public is encourages to give the team a warm welcome at OR Tambo International Airport as they return home from Germany on Saturday morning at 08:45.
Enquiries:
Hlengiwe Nhlabathi-Mokota
Cell: +27 84 708 4214
E-mail: hnhlabathi@tourism.gov.za
