Influential publishing icon Annette Kesler is the winner of the 2019 Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award.

During her tenure as food editor of Fairlady magazine for over three decades, Annette inspired generations of readers, teaching them how to cook – and love it.

Together with her business partner, Chania Morritt-Smith, Annette established Showcook (a food, wine and travel website) and runs the Distell Inter Hotel Challenge (the Oscars of the hotel world, a prestigious annual event on the hotel industry’s calendar), which encourages upliftment and excellence within the hospitality industry.

“Annette is a remarkable woman,” said Abigail Donnelly, former editor and chief judge of Eat Out – and herself winner of this award in 2018. My fond memories of her are from Fairlady days where she would sit and dictate her recipes to her assistants. She would travel the world bringing back food trends and inspiration, and I still make recipes from her cookbooks.”

“Annette has never stopped fully immersing herself in mentoring the young chefs of SA, giving them opportunities that they so deserve.”