This dish is prepared by Chef Darren Badenhorst

Seven young South African chefs have made it through to phase two of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef awards. S.Pellegrino received over 3000 entries to the competition, which offers one chef from each region the chance to compete in the international competition in Milan in June.

The shortlist of 10 chefs representing Africa and Middle East included seven chefs from South African restaurants, one from Dubai, one from Kuwait and one from the UAE’s Etihad Airways.

The South African finalists are Amoré Botha, chef de partie at Azure at the 12 Apostles in Camps Bay; Angelo Scirocco, sous chef at Chefs Warehouse in Cape Town (our Best Everyday Eatery for 2014); Constantijn Hahndiek, chef at OSA restaurant in Ballito; Darren Badenhorst, chef at The Restaurant at Grande Provence in Franschhoek; Katlego Sebastian Mlambo, sous chef at Rust en Vrede Restaurant in Stellenbosch; Simone van der Merwe, sous chef at De Kloof Restaurant in Pretoria; and Vusi Ndlovu, sous chef at the Qunu Grill at the Saxon in Sandton.

Chef Katlego-Sebastian Mlambo

These 10 chefs will compete in a local competition, from which one representative will be chosen to battle it out against 19 chefs from the other regions in Milan in June 2015. David Higgs, executive chef at Eat Out Top 10 restaurant Five Hundred and our 2013 Chef of the Year, will mentor the region’s finalist at the competition.

This dish is prepared by Chef Vusi Ndlovu of the Qunu Grill at the Saxon

The judges include international culinary heavyweights Massimo Bottura, Gastón Acurio, Yannick Alléno, Yoshihiro Narisawa, Éric Ripert, Joan Roca and Margot Janse, chef at another Top 10 restaurant, The Tasting Room, and our 2012 Chef of the Year.