CHEFS came in their numbers to this year’s Unilever Food Solutions’ Chef of the Year competition.
The recent event took place at Unilever’s offices in Umhlanga, KZN.
The chefs showcased their talents against each other to win prizes in three categories: senior, junior, and team of four.
The junior and senior finalists were required to prepare a three-course menu to serve three people using a vast communal table of premium produce, but they had to include a minimum of 10 compulsory Unilever products.
Saxon Hotel’s Terror Lekopa took the number one spot in the junior category. He served a starter of pan fried kingklip, tomato mayonnaise, carrot purée, pickled radishes, tomato sponge and lemon and herb cream. He followed with seared ostrich, Parmesan croquette, cauliflower purée, roasted beetroot and red wine demi-glace, baked cheesecake, lemon sorbet, orange curd and passion fruit jelly.
Terror, who is from Ficksburg, in the Free State, said: “I am over the moon. This was my third try so my win is a dream come true!”
The senior winner was Jean-Pierre de la Motte, of the Lord Charles Hotel in Cape Town, who presented three noteworthy dishes: seafood croquette, tomato and red pepper chutney with salmon ceviche and smoked garlic aioli.
It was followed by slow-braised duck with roast cauliflower purée, seasonal veg and crispy duck skin, and tiramisu mousse with chocolate sponge and almond nougatine.
Willem van der Merwe and his chefs from 12 Apostles won the team category.
The top chefs and team shared the R110?000. Terror, the junior winner, gets to stay in Nice at the Côte d’Azur in France, and be trained by chef Jan Hendrik at his exclusive Michelin-star restaurant, as well as a R10 000 cash prize.
