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Cocktail Hour!

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2022
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Cocktail Hour!

AWARDS, Distell Inter Hotel Challenge

Cocktail Hour!

showcookDecember 2, 2022December 2, 2022

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Category: AWARDS Distell Inter Hotel Challenge

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Next Article THE CONCIERGE’S CHOICE Celebrating individuals who create exceptional experiences for visitors to South Africa!

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If the Inter-Hotel Challenge is the competition, t

If the Inter-Hotel Challenge is the competition, the 1st of December is the Oscars.

And this year the prizes are nothing short of extraordinary. Here is what the winners are walking away with:

🍽️ Chef Awards
• Chef of the Year and Ultimate Lancewood Pastry Chef of the Year board a flight in 2027 for a three week stage with Valor Hospitality — destination revealed on the night
• Hot Chef takes home R10,000 cash from ZA Foods plus a CTIA bursary for the QCTO NQF Level 5 Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning Programme
• Pastry Chef pockets R10,000 from Lancewood plus a ClemenGold hamper
• Bio-Wheat Baker of the Year wins a KitchenAid Food Processor, their hotel receives a KitchenAid Commercial Mixer and Bio-Wheat adds R10,000 cash

🍷 Wine Steward and Beverage Awards
• Wine Steward winner flies to the South of France for two weeks with ACCOR, flights courtesy of Air France, plus R10,000 cash from a partnered wine estate and sommelier certifications through the Sommeliers Academy
• Most Promising Wine Steward receives a bursary of up to R105,000 to study toward a degree or diploma of their choice
• KWV sponsors Cape Wine Academy bursaries for the top three Wine Stewards
• Best Mastiha Cocktail wins a R30,000 bursary toward an online certificate in Hospitality Management

🏆 Hospitality Awards
• Diamond Works Concierge of the Year takes home R15,000 cash
• Diamond-studded gold lapel pins go to the winning Wine Stewards and top three Concierges
• Mentor of the Year wins a weekend at The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City
• Union Tiles GM of the Year receives hand-crafted engraved gold cufflinks or pendant from The Diamond Works Institute

And still to come: KitchenAid mixers, SCANPAN cookware, Global Knives, Brabantia, Books by Penguin Random House, Von Geusau Chocolates and floating trophies that carry the name of whoever was brave enough to be great on the day.

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town, 1 December 2026. 🤍👨‍🍳🍷🇿🇦

#Showcook #InterHotelChallenge2026 #Awards #MountNelson #SouthAfricanHospitality

2026 The Diamond Works Concierges Choice: The peop

2026 The Diamond Works Concierges Choice: The people who make a stay memorable

A great concierge can tell you where to find the best table in town, who makes the best coffee, which gallery is worth the detour and how to make a last-minute request happen. The key skill, however, is knowing what a guest needs before they have to ask.

Meet our 2026 The Diamond Works Concierges (@thediamondworks) Choice candidates; hospitality professionals from some of South Africa’s leading hotels who bring that instinct, knowledge and genuine care to every guest they look after.

They’re the people behind the recommendations, the little details and the moments guests remember long after they’ve left.

(Frame 1: Simphiwe Nxumalo)

#Showcook #ConciergesChoice #TheDiamondWorks #SouthAfricanHospitality #HospitalityProfessionals

Nkanyiso Mbatha

Colin Mavuso

Ashton Abdul

Nkanyiso Bungane

Marie Luckun

Charles Moabelo

Nicholen Govender

Langton Sanyanga

Keenan Lukas

Nicikazi Twazi

Simone Potter

Gerard Knight

Lwazi Mchunu

Juvile Visser

Sandisiwe Hlulani

October is our favourite month because this is the

October is our favourite month because this is the month that everything the 2026 Inter-Hotel Challenge competitors have been quietly building since July finally comes to life in the kitchen, at the bar, behind the wine glass and at the concierge desk. KwaZulu-Natal steps up on the 27th at CTIA in Durban, Gauteng and Northern Province follow on the 28th at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Rosebank and Western Province closes it out on the 30th and 31st at Capsicum in Salt River, Cape Town. Hot chefs, pastry chefs, bakers, baristas, wine stewards and concierge competitors all bringing months of preparation, mentorship and sheer passion for South African hospitality into one extraordinary week and we genuinely cannot wait to witness every moment of it.

#Showcook #InterHotelChallenge2026 #UnionTiles #SouthAfricanHospitality #HospitalityExcellence

As we near the end of September, we’re looking bac

As we near the end of September, we’re looking back at the people and stories that make South African hospitality what it is.

We have, throughout the month, celebrated the chefs who bring our heritage to the table, the concierges who introduce visitors to the country through their own perspective, and the mentors and industry leaders who invest in the people coming up behind them.

Heritage lives in the food we serve, the stories we share and the way we welcome people. It’s worth remembering where we’ve come from, while making sure there’s space for the next generation to find their place in the industry.

#Showcook #InterHotelChallenge2026 #UnionTiles #HeritageMonth

Heritage Day is a reminder that South African hosp

Heritage Day is a reminder that South African hospitality is rooted in our stories, our cultures, and our shared table. It’s in the flavours our chefs choose, the conversations our concierges start, and the way we welcome people from all corners of this country. Happy Heritage day and we all hope you have a wonderful one🇿🇦

#Showcook #InterHotelChallenge2026 #UnionTiles #HeritageDay

The foundation of the Inter-Hotel Challenge has, o

The foundation of the Inter-Hotel Challenge has, over the years, been built on mentorship. On people who have walked the road before, learned the lessons, made the mistakes, built the careers, and then turned around to say: come, let me show you what I know.

Our mentors bring their industry experience, yes, but more than that, they bring perspective, open doors, share stories, challenge young people to think differently, and remind them that a career in hospitality can take them much further than they ever imagined.

This week, we’re getting to know Wandile Mpakumpaku beyond the title of “mentor” and asking him about the industry that has shaped his life, the lessons he’s gathered along the way, and what he hopes the next generation takes with them.

As South African hospitality professional and manager at ROOI at One&Only Cape Town, his own journey began at Capsicum Culinary Studio, where he studied Professional Cookery. In 2021, he was named Barista of the Year in the Reaching for Young Stars competition, and in 2023, he returned to the Inter-Hotel Challenge himself, competing in the Wine Steward category for The President Hotel.

Now, he finds himself on the other side of the table, helping shape the journeys of those coming after him.

On finding his way into hospitality

“What drew me to the hospitality industry is the love of people as a whole. I grew up always wanting to connect with people from all parts of the world, and hospitality has granted me that opportunity.”

This is perhaps hospitality at its heart: people, places, stories, and the beautiful possibility of bringing them all together.

On the things you only learn with time

“When I started, I had no idea that at the present time my mindset would be able to deal with the most difficult situations and turn them into the best personalised memories ever.

I had no idea that I would be the one creating jobs for the youth. However, it was always my dream to upskill the youth.”

Some lessons we learn through experience, pressure, unexpected turns and the quiet realisation that the person you once hoped to become is now the person someone else is learning from.

His advice to the young people coming

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