Tony Kocke grew up in Germany. He always knew he wanted to be chef and when an opportunity to be an apprentice at Restaurant Papillon in Berlin arose, he didn't hesitate. He worked and trained there from 1978 to 1981.
In 1985, he moved to London were he held positions at the Dorchester hotel, Citibank Head Office, and the Savoy Hotel.
The thrill of South Africa enticed him to Durban in 1988, where he was employed at the Royal Hotel, A year later he was offered a position as executive chef at the Durban Club and later took up a position as head chef at the Edward hotel.
In 1991 his work led him to Joburg as executive chef for the Johannesburg Country Club, but soon returned to the UK and took up the a position of head chef of Harry's Bar in London and also experienced cooking on a cruise liner in the Caribbean.
In 1995 he returned to Germany as a private chef at the British Embassy in Berlin.
His greatest challenge and reward was opening his own restaurant Ma Cuisine, which received a Michelin star.
On returning to South Africa in 1999, he worked at the Commodore Hotel and the Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town before being offered a position at Sibaya in Umdloti, KwaZulu -Natal. Kocke took up the reins of the Beverly Hills on 1 November, 2012.
When asked about his position, Kocke replied: 'It is an honour to be appointed as executive chef of the Beverly Hills Hotel. It is something I waited for for a long time, and a responsibility I don't take lightly. I look forward to meeting all the wonderful loyal guests of the Beverly Hills and surpassing all food expectations."
