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#YouthMonth: Q&A with award-winning young chef Paul Thinus Prinsloo
2 Jun 2020
Winner of the 2019 S.Pellegrino Young Chef, Africa and Middle East region and Chef de Partie at The Restaurant at Waterkloof, 26 year old Paul Thinus Prinsloo, chats to us this #YouthMonth about how winning the Young Chef Award has influenced his life and his advice for aspiring young chefs.
How has winning the S.Pellegrino Young Chef award changed or influenced your career path?
Winning the competition has certainly given me exposure in the industry, by helping me get my name out there, which has a big influence on how you as a chef can add to the change of the industry. S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are amazing brands that do a lot for our industry. They are a crucial part of what we do and helping people understand what we do. And now, with our industry being so fragile at the moment, they are doing more then what is expected. They are a big part of helping the industry at the moment. I can't be prouder to be associated with a brand like S.Pellegrino.
Can you give us some background on how and why you got into the food industry?
From a young age, I've had an interest in making food, one of my earliest memories with cooking was making fish fingers and chips. I know it’s nothing amazing but what else will a nine-year-old make for himself. I guess the passion just grew bigger to the point where I made a career out of it.
Advice for other aspiring young chefs?
Be humble and listen. Ask as many questions as possible. Read cookbooks and expand your knowledge. Always work as hard as you can, show respect to other chefs when you're working in the industry, remember they have been where you are. And most of all be patient and don't just chase a title and never stop learning.
If you could give a message to your younger self what would it be?
Be more humble towards others and listen more to your elders as they understand life a bit more than you think.
What would be your desert island dish?
Well, let’s say it has an ocean around it so definitely something with fish and coconuts, maybe wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on a bed of coals.
Your top tip for sane during lockdown?
Exercise, exercise! I never knew 5L water bottles can be used as weights until the lockdown happened.
Your favourite emoji?
I would say hands down the laughing crying face and the monkey that can't see.
