20-year-old Ziyanda Mvusi has always dreamt of becoming a top chef, but training doesn’t come cheap. fortunately, fate intervened, and now she’s the proud recipient of the Woolworths Taste Bursary sponsored by the Silwood School of Cookery.

The motivation “Ziyanda’s proactive, positive attitude absolutely blew me away!” says Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly on selecting the bubbly lass for the bursary. “She’s hungry for the challenge of becoming a top-class chef.”

The inspiration My mother always loved cooking when I was growing up, and even though I saw it as a huge chore when I was little, I soon became addicted to it. We were always scouring magazines and cookbooks for something new and exciting to try out. I still page through my grandmother’s old cookbooks whenever I need inspiration. The food I adore seafood and love using it in pasta sauces made with plenty of cream. I’m also a dessert nut, so I’m always making cheesecakes, sticky toffee puddings, soufflés and anything with chocolate and strawberries.

The plan As soon as I realised I could actually make a career out of something I loved, I started researching how I could get into the industry. The original plan was to work for three years and save up for cooking school, so when I heard about the Woolworths TASTE/Silwood bursary, I jumped at the chance.

The philosophy Cooking is about more than just putting food on a plate; you need to have a passion for what you’re doing. Every dish needs to be perfect before you send it out, especially if you’re cooking for someone else. You only have one chance.

For more information about next year's bursary, email info@eatout.co.za