A clean sweep for women at Chef of the Year

Proving their skill, creativity and culinary talent in the most exciting mystery basket cook-off of the year, Dilene Cranna, a self-employed pastry chef walked away with the title of Senior Chef of the Year and, while Belinda Angelo of the 1000 Hills Chef School in Durban was awarded the Junior title. The Team of Four award was won by the Radisson Blu Hotel in Port Elizabeth, represented by a team consisting of a female chef, Rozanne Dos Sates, team manager Stuart Cason, junior chef Clarice Biljohn and waiter Sangren Moodley. Earlier this year, the prestigious By Invitation Only category, with a cash prize of R40 000, was won by Jodi-Ann Pearton of the Food Design Agency.

The Unilever Foodsolutions Chef of the Year competition attracted entries from some of the most promising Junior and Team of Four chefs in the country, as well as international talent in the Senior category for the first time ever, as chefs from Egypt and Dubai were among the six Senior finalists. The standard of entry in all three categories was exceptionally high as these talented chefs compete for their share of R90 000 in cash.

Senior Category

In the Senior category, Dilene Cranna, a Joburg-based self-employed pastry chef and Team South Africa Logistics Manager, took first place, a R15,000 cash prize and the overall title of Unilever Foodsolutions Chef of the Year 2009. Sharmaine Dixon of the 1000 Hills Chefs School in Durban placed second, winning R10,000, and Candice Philip of the Saxon Boutique Hotel & Spa in Johannesburg came third, winning R5 000. The winning starter consisted of pickled butternut mat topped with a baby corn salad, cured kingklip, scallop custard topped with grilled scallop. Main course was honey and soy basted veal loin on onion and potato puree with a melange of veg, quail roulade and a tomato jus. Dessert, Dilene's speciality, was striped sponge topped with a berry frozen dessert base, warm ginger rice pudding with a mixed berry and citrus salad.

Junior Chef of the Year

The Junior Chef of the Year was won by Belinda Angelo of the 1000 Hills Chefs School in Durban, who won R6 000, with second place and R4000 going to Tiaan Langenegger of the Wild Mushroom Boutique Hotel in Cape Town, and the third prize of R2000 being scooped by Gareth Walford of the Michelangelo Hotel in Johannesburg. The winning starter was a trio of seafood (mussels and shrimp ragout served with a thai seafood velouté accompanied by a seafood pasta and a seafood salad). Main course was lamb loin stuffed with cheddar and bacon on mash served with brionaise carrots and mushrooms with a demi glace mango and apricot sauce. Dessert was a strawberry soufflé ice cream wrapped in a ribbon sponge and a chocolate dome with a berry chocolate ganache with berry sauce and finished off with a crisp tuille.

Team of Four

The Team of Four category was won by the Raddison Blu Hotel in Port Elizabeth, with Compass in Durban coming second and Western Province Caterers in Cape Town taking third place. The winners walked away with R20,000, second prize was R12 000 and third prize R8000. The team from Raddison Blu presented a starter of exotic thai chicken stuffed calamari on fragrant cous cous, terriyaki prawns on brilled sweet potato marinated vegetable salad. Main course was BBQ pork fillet medallions on apple pear rosti, roulade of chicken, sautéed mangetout pumpkin puree, tomato onion sauce. Dessert was chocolate brandy mousse, macadamia semi freddo and strawberry mint salsa.

High standards

“The standard of this year's competition was one of the highest we have seen in recent years, and the female contingent clearly demonstrated their professionalism, creativity and competitive spirit. We are honoured to have had chefs of the calibre of all our contestants enter and compete in this year's Unilever Foodsolutions Chef of the Year,” said Craig Elliot, executive head chef of Unilever Foodsolutions SA.

Each category of the competition took the form of a mystery basket competition, in which they had just half an hour to come up with their menu, and then three hours to prepare a starter, main course and dessert to present to the local and international accredited judges - utilising the ingredients that they were given just a few hours before. The heat was on as the young contestants were all under great pressure to come up with the most innovative, creative and flavourful dishes possible.