Culinary Team South Africa collaborates with Gordon Ramsay
The Good Food and Wine show showcased a live Olympic practice session by Culinary Team South Africa as well as highly successful collaboration between the Team and Gordon Ramsay. Members of the public had a chance to view the incredible showpieces created by Culinary Team SA in preparation of the Culinary Olympics in 2012. On Friday night the Team backed Claire Smyth, 3 star Michelin chef at the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant in delivering a menu consisting of Gordon’s take on traditional South African cuisine to guests attending a charity function at Summer Place.
Culinary Team SA, Gordon Ramsay, Clair Smyth and SACA President: Stephen Billingham
On the weekend of 24 and 25 September South African National Team of Chefs, Culinary Team South Africa showcased their live Olympic preparations at their own stand at Good Food and wine show. Their showpieces were put on display for the public to see and the chefs were on hand to explain their dishes to the many visitors.
On the Friday night Team SA backed Gordon Ramsay’s team in the kitchen at a function held at Summer Place and prepared a menu chosen by Ramsay for 200 guests. Ramsay chose traditional South African ingredients for the menu - such as Cape crayfish, boerewors and warthog - and gave them his own signature. A charity auction held at the end of the evening raised more than R1.3-million which will benefit the Bobbi Bear Foundation as well as Door of Hope. Among the auction items were a signed Culinary Team SA Chef’s Jacket. The gala dinner was held in association with Samsung and hosted by the Good Food & Wine Show.
Culinary Team SA, currently rated an impressive 10th in the world, and aiming to top that when they compete again in the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany in 2012 received praise from Ramsey for their ‘incredible talent’ and he said that South African chefs were a forced to be reckoned with on the international culinary scene.
The team presented Ramsay with a “Friends of the Team” certificate as a token of their appreciation for the tremendous opportunity to have worked so closely with him. Putting together one of the most innovative menus for guests at Summer place was an invaluable learning opportunity for the team. This experience will most certainly boost the level of cuisine not only presented on the South African plates at the Olympics but also that which South African’s experience at events & in restaurants, hotels, coffee shops & hospitals around the country, prepared by members of Team South Africa.
Culinary Team South Africa announces Junior Team for 2012 Culinary Olympics
Vusumuzi Ndlovu ,Keiron Reynolds ( Team Captain) , Jacques Swart , Justin Simpson,
Natasha Fernandes, Gontse Moyane, Kgomotso Rasepae
The South African Chefs Association, its board, as well as the Management and Sponsors of Culinary Team South Africa are proud to announce that after competitive trials held recently the following seven members were selected as members of Junior Culinary Team South Africa: Keiron Reynolds ( Team Captain) , Justin Simpson, Natasha Fernandes, Vusumuzi Ndlovu, Gontse Moyane, Jacques Swart, Kgomotso Rasepae .
These young chefs have been selected to join Culinary Team South Africa as Junior Members and are now ranked among the most talented chefs in the country, with one common goal “Olympic Gold” Culinary Team South Africa entered to compete internationally in the the oldest and most prestigious culinary competition in the world, the IKA Culinary Olympics 2012.
“We were very happy with the applications made and had a hard task in selecting 12 juniors to attend the trials”; said Bruce Burns, manager of Team South Africa. “On the day of the trials the competition was tough and we, as judges, were presented with excellent dishes. After much deliberation, we made our choices and we are sure that these juniors will make South Africa proud.”
This young Team together with the 19 senior members are already working on perfecting their dishes for the Olympics at monthly 4 day training sessions. The IKA Culinary Olympics 2012 will be hosted in Erfurt, Germany. Representing the chefs of South Africa and ranked 10th in the world, Culinary Team South Africa recently did them proud after they brought back seven silver medals in hot kitchen, seven silver medals in cold table, one silver in the individual showpiece section and three bronze medals in individual entries, from the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg.
“Inspiration is one of Unilever Food Solution’s core philosophies and we are both inspired by these young chefs and believe that they will go on to inspire others. We wish them great success as they begin their exciting journey into culinary competitions,” says Eelco Camminga, Vice President of Unilever Food Solutions Africa, Middle East & Pakistan and major sponsor to Culinary Team South Africa
South Africa first sent a team to participate in the Culinary Olympics in 1980, during which this group brought home five individual medals and won fourth place overall in the hot kitchen competition. Throughout the Culinary Team’s history, participants have been made up of renowned chefs such as Bill Gallagher, Heinz Brunner, Manfred Muelers, Bruce Burns, Andrew Atkinson, Garth Shnier, Paul Hartmann, David Higgs and Garth Stroebel.
The history of the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, better known as the Culinary Olympics, is dominated by the energetic and inspirational figure of Matthias Charl Banzer, founder of the IKA, who developed the IKA into the most prestigious food exhibition in the world. The IKA began in 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany and due to the depredations of World War I and II it did not take place every four years as it does today. Today over 50 countries compete for the title of Olympic Champion in Cooking. And it is at these Olympics where new trends are set.
It is every Chef’s dream to represent his or her country in Germany. The primary objective of this event is to unite the world through cooking. It is a forum where masters and apprentice teams meet to exchange ideas and learn from each other.
