The Baristas presented three styles of Avanti Coffee; espresso, cappuccino and a choice of one of the following drinks; caffè latte, cortado or a dirty chai latte, S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna to accompany their presentation to the Judges; Alison Douglas, Tarryn van der Toorn & Wayne Abrahams of Avanti Coffee SA.
Meet some of the students who participated at the One&Only Reaching for Young Stars Cook-Off…
DANAË UYS
IHT HOTEL SCHOOL
“I want to travel the world, experiencing cultures and foods. I also want to open my own boutique hotel one day, but for now, I want to start climbing the ladder in the food and beverage department in the hospitality industry.
I would have to say Bethany Hamilton is one of my role models. She is an American surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack when she was really young. She taught me that you can’t give up on your dreams no matter what comes your way. Through hard work, faith and courage you can do and achieve whatever you want.
I watch lots of cooking shows and videos as well as barista latte art videos. I find it very interesting. I love watching educational videos of how stuff is made and where it comes from as well as going to read up on new stuff I found out about.”
MARYANNE JACKSON
INTERNATIONAL HOTEL SCHOOL
“I am Maryanne Jackson, I am current doing the culinary arts program at the International Hotel School.
My future aims are to become well established in the hospitality industry and to be making people happy and doing what I love.
One of my biggest role models is my aunt, she has shown me that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything you want to.
In any free time that I get, I am visiting new places, as small as a little café down the road to get more knowledge on different ways to make people happy.
The current book I am reading is called Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi.
PHUMLANI NUNU
THE HURST CAMPUS
“I’m a resident of Paarl in the Western Cape. Since I was in Grade 9 the only career path, I saw for myself was to be in the hospitality industry having developed a love for being in the kitchen and simply experimenting with different flavours from a very young age.
I went to work at Spur in front of house as a door host where I then worked my way up to being a waiter. Since starting at The Hurst Campus, I have been given so many opportunities besides learning how to cook and bake. One of them has been being exposed to Front of House in the campus restaurant, the MOM Café. I found my love for front of house growing, and food and beverage soon became my favourite subject.
My current goal is to specialise in Front of House Management and grow my career in the Food & Beverage Department. I would also like to support, inspire and motivate others who also are passionate about the industry, and share the knowledge I have gained to grow our nation and our industry.
One of my key role models is Alice Waters, an American chef, restaurateur, activist and author. The reason why is because of the choices she makes regarding food. She only uses organic produce in her restaurant and when her restaurant started, she would come in early to prep for evening service all on her own showing me the value of being independent and hard work. I also believe that in this day and age that we are living in, organic farming should be something that should be promoted to also improve sustainability and ensure that the farm to table movement is acknowledged. I aspire to have the same drive, ethics, and motivation that she has, and even to the point that during the whole lockdown period she still paid her employees full salaries, which I believe is truly remarkable.
At The Hurst Campus, since day one, we were encouraged to constantly do research beyond the scope and content of the lectures we receive and to read books. So whenever I have the chance, I go to bookstores and buy a book that relates to the career I am in or check out what is happening on YouTube. We have been taught the value of being curious, asking questions and dreaming big.
I love making coffee and am so grateful that my love for this craft has been recognized and that I was selected to take part in this competition. Terbodore Roasters have partnered with the campus, so we have had the opportunity of working with them, their coffee beans, and some extra hands-on training in the art of making a good cup of coffee. I have also been able to practice my budding barista skills on campus in the MOM Café as well as working at some of the local coffee shops and restaurants.”
WANDILE MPAKUMPAKU
CAPSICUM CULINARY STUDIO
“My aim for the future is to open my own restaurant where I will sell coffee as well as food and I want to train and upskill the youth and provide jobs for people. I want to share my knowledge with them, making them see the hospitality industry as the most amazing category that involves everyone sharing skills.
My role model is Gordon Ramsay because wherever he is now it was not an easy journey and I can relate to his past and background, he makes me believe that anything is possible when you put in the hard work.
I am learning about management as well as trying to save money to open my own restaurant, I want to relate to every sector of the business so that I can understand everything about the business that will help me to be able to work with people better.”
ZOË STOFFELS
CHEFS TRAINING AND INNOVATION ACADEMY (CTIA)
“My aim for the future is to be able to provide a stable and comfortable life for my daughter, one that ensures she has access to the best possible opportunities. In order for me to achieve that I would like to own my own business one day, a patisserie or baking studio so that I’m able to create my footprint in this industry, to constantly learn, create and most of all feed my happiness. This is my passion.
I’ve have been inspired very much by one particular famous chef Adriano Zumbo. What caught my eye and gave me that push to pursue this career choice was when he created a dessert called “Mini V8 vanilla”. Even though it’s a vanilla cake there was so many layers and elements that had to be precise to make this beautiful and elegant dessert. Desserts have to be practiced constantly to achieve perfection. Measurements and techniques have to be done correctly for your dessert to be a success. Adriano is so precise in his techniques that it has made him a great role model for me. He pushes boundaries and creates unusual pastries paving the way for aspiring chefs like myself to create desserts that are out of this world. Zumbo started small by supplying homemade tarts, muffins, brownies and banana bread to local cafes in Sydney. He has grown his empire where he has done television appearances for Masterchef and has a few of his own television series. It is possible with the determination and passion to become great, to become successful.
How I am broadening my knowledge is to constantly educate myself; reading, watching cooking programs or even watching chefs when they are busy. For example I helped a chef at Lourensford called Ghenwa, she owns her own culinary studio and she showed me how to make a Lebanese flatbread called Manakish with Zatar. While she was busy in the kitchen I watched her, helped her and learned more about Lebanese cuisine. It’s important to constantly educate yourself on food and pastry for times are changing but everyone still needs to eat.”
THANDISWA NTSHILI
CAPE TOWN HOTEL SCHOOL
(Part of the Faculty of Business Management Sciences of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology)
“I’m hoping to own my pastry shop soon. I enjoy making pastries it’s something I have always had a passion for. When it comes to pastry you should pair it with some beverage which is the reason I decided to enter the barista side of the competition. I would also like to own a private catering company ranging from couples dinners to catering for weddings.
My mom and siblings are my role models. They have achieved so much and are always behind me with everything I do especially when it comes to tasting they do know how to be the greatest critiques and supporters.
I am always watching YouTube baking and Barista tutorials; also I like to know what is trending when it comes to food and beverage management just to keep up with what people are currently into or enjoying, especially on social media e.g. Instagram they always have great plating methods.”
We look forward to meeting her at the Cook-Off.
