UFS Chef of the Year finalists ready for showdown
Senior finalists
Senior finalists who will be competing for the cash prizes of R15,000 for first place, R10,000 for second place and R5,000 for third place are:
Germaine Clarence Esau from Delaire Graff Estate
Hanno Van Eeden from Sheraton Hotel Pretoria
Jade Van Der Spuy from 1000 Hills Chefs School
Mluleki Luthuli from Radisson Blu Sandton
Sven Samuel Adams from Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
Xavier Francis from Oyster Box Hotel
Junior finalists
Junior finalists competing for the R10,000 first prize, R6,000 second prize and R4,000 third prize are:
Amoré Botha from 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa
Candice Jordan from Fusion
Kirsten Howell from Saxon Hotel
Michaela van der Merwe from 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa
Samantha Holtman from 1000 Hills Chefs School
Samantha Jones from Hilton Hotel Sandton
Other categories
Finalists in the remaining three categories of the competition - Creative Canapés, Confectionary Showcase and Bring Your Best Team of Four - were selected based on their submitted entries and were not subject to a semi-final cook-off.
Creative Canapés finalists, with a first prize of R7,000, second prize of R2,000 and third prize of R1,000 are:
(Goo) Ekkanut Imthawin from Hilton Durban
Mpho Malaka from Raddison Blu Gautrain
Samantha Lloyd from The Taj in Cape Town
Sylvia Thobile Ntsindane from Quills Deli
Thobekile Ntetha from Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Yatish Bipulprasad from FEDICS
Confectionery Showcase finalists, with a first prize of R7,000, second prize of R2,000 and third prize of R1,000 are:
Kevyn Bradley Buys from Capsicum Culinary Studio
Larissa Chevonne Pillay from The Oyster Box
Nathan Jacobs from The 12 Apostles
Skhumbuzo Maphanga from Durban ICC
Thabani Magubane from Quills Deli
Wonda Grobbelaar from Chocolat te Gateaux
Bring Your Best Team of Four, with a first prize of R20,000, second prize of R12,000, and R8,000 third prize are:
Compass
Harvey's Restaurant
Hilton Hotel Sandton
Holiday Inn Sandton Rivonia
Raddison Blu Gautrain
Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Western Province Caterers
"Entering its fourth decade, the competition is a way for the company to pay tribute to the talented chefs in the South African culinary industry. We take pride in ensuring that that our chefs know that we appreciate their hard work and dedication to the industry and are committed to inspiring, motivating and encouraging them to continue doing the great work that they do through such rewarding competitions," says Craig Elliott, executive chef of Unilever Food Solutions.