A young local chef, Henrico Grobbelaar – currently resident at Vergelegen wine estates Lady Phillips restaurant in Somerset West – received top honours in the recent S. Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year award during the acclaimed S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup held in Italy last month.

Lauded as the tastiest regatta in the world, the competition presents chefs with the additional challenge of preparing their meals on board a yacht sailing between the Lido of Venice and the Venetian lagoon.

Nine other teams from around the world took part in the competition, with Italys Luigi Taglienti taking second place, and Jake Nicolson of Australia taking third.

Grobbelaars tasting menu consisted of Cape Malay curry, dukkah lamb, tuna tataki, scallop in pancetta, and oyster on samphire, accompanied by a selection of Vergelegen wines.

This years list of prestigious jury members also included chef Luke Dale Roberts of La Colombe in Cape Town, Eat Out Chef of the Year for 2008.

Lady Phillips Restaurant
Vergelegen Estate, Somerset West
Call 021 847 1346

For more information on the S. Pellegrino Cooking Cup visit www.sanpellegrino.com

Image source: http://www.sanpellegrino.com/index.html