“The overall Hot Chef winner of this year’s ‘Cape Grace Reaching for Young Stars’ will be given an incredible opportunity for a three-month working visit to France with InternAfrika,” says Director Alexandre Barrière Izard. “During the visit, the winner will complete an internship at a prestigious hotel in France, with a monthly allowance, flights, visa, medical travel insurance, accommodation, and full board all included.” The winners will be revealed in June.
MLT Car Hire & Tours will provide airport transfers for the winner.
The top four chefs and the winning beverage student will receive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a five-month stay and exceptional working experience in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 2026, at Winslow’s Tavern. This renowned heritage restaurant, located in a historic Federalist building in scenic Wellfleet, is led by Chef Patrons Phillip & Tracey Hunt. With 170 seats, the restaurant is home to a talented international team of chefs, front-of-house staff, and bar managers, all working together in a fast-paced, high-volume environment while creating a signature all-American seasonal menu inspired by coastal cuisines.
Upon returning from France and America, they will be invited to undertake a three-week internship at one of our top hotels.
The ‘Ultimate Lancewood Young Star Pastry Chef of the Year’ will be awarded a three-month internship in France, the home of fine patisserie, at the stunning Château La Creuzette in Boussac. This incredible prize offers the winner the chance to enhance their culinary skills while immersing themselves in the unmatched French flair. The prize includes flights courtesy of Lancewood, along with a R5000 cash prize to assist with visa and travel insurance.
Plus prizes from ClemenGold to the winning Pastry Chef.
The winning Hot Chef and Pastry Chef will be invited to assist the Inter-Hotel Challenge winners at a private dinner at Leeuwenhof on 24th July 2025.
Wonderful prizes for all the winners from Wings Group Dr Susanne Reuther of KitchenAid Africa including KitchenAid Artisan Mixers, Gadget & Utensils, Ceramics, Bakeware and more.
Highly desirable and stunning prizes from AL&CD Ashley including SCANPAN the finest of Global Knives, Brabantia, Avanti, Severin and Joseph Joseph. The list goes on – practical, innovative products, superbly crafted using cutting edge technology that our candidates are able to test their culinary prowess with and a joy to use.
The ScanPan Excellent Kitchen Practice Award ~ Highfield Level 3 Food Safety for Catering. The hot kitchen and pastry kitchen categories for food safety will each win a training course for the Level 3 Food Safety for Catering Qualification. This qualification is designed to assist learners who wish to progress to higher or supervisory level within a food catering business. The qualification is ideal for ensuring compliance with the law.
Topics covered include:
Ensuring compliance with food safety legislation
The application and monitoring of good hygiene practice
How to implement food safety management procedures
The application and monitoring of good practice regarding contamination, microbiology and temperature control
About Highfield: Founded in 1982, Highfield is a leading UK and international awarding organisation in vocational, compliance and accredited qualifications, regulated by Ofqual. As a government-regulated End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO), Highfield is a proud recipient of the 2024 King’s Award for Enterprise and End Point Assessment Organisation of the Year.
With over 600 qualifications and a network of 46,500+ approved trainers across 54+ countries, Highfield annually awards more than 550,000 certificates in diverse sectors, empowering learners worldwide. As one of the UK’s top awarding bodies, they work with leading organisations, including Nestlé, Shell, BP, Jumeirah Hotels, Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways and many more.
This year’s program of the Cape Grace Reaching for Young Stars was made possible through top-tier partners whose dedication to providing quality ingredients plays a pivotal role in the competition’s success.
Accor, Acqua Panna, Anthonij Rupert Wyne, Avanti Coffee, Bio-Wheat, Bruce Jack Wines, Cape Grace, Cederberg Wines, Ciao Pomodoro, Clearworld, ClemenGold, ClemenGold Gin, Cocchi, Denny Mushrooms, Didactix, Früt SA, Global Knives, Highfield Qualifications, Heirloom Restaurant, Hope Distillery, I Love Coffee, InUWell, InternAfrica, Italian Deli Online, Jordan Wines, Khoisan Sea Salt, KitchenAid Africa, Kleine Zalze, KWV Brandy, La Creuzette, La Motte, Lancewood, LemonGold, Lurpak, MLT Car Hire & Tours, National Youth Development Agency, Penguin Random House, Petals Group, Polli Marinated Italian Vegetables, Rio Largo Olive Oil, SA Brandy Foundation, SASSI, S.Pellegrino, Sanpellegrino Italian Sparkling Drinks, Scanpan, Simonsig Family Vineyards, Sobremesa, SA Chefs Association, Tastic Rices of the World, Tiger Brands Food Service Solutions, Vinimark Wine Company, Von Geusau Chocolates, WWF SASSI, Van Ryn’s Distillery, Winslow’s Tavern
The floating Sustainability Awareness Trophy will be awarded by Pavitray Pillay, Environmental Behaviour Change Practitioner & WWF-SASSI Manager to the best team.
“Chefs are key to driving change, creating dishes that inspire and create awareness!” – Pavs Pillay, WWF-SASSI Manager https://wwfsassi.co.za/sassi-champions/chefs/
About CAPE GRACE, A FAIRMONT MANAGED HOTEL
The distinctive Fairmont Managed Hotel, Cape Grace is part of Accor. A French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide. Accor operates in 5,445 locations in over 110 countries.
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