Henrico Grobbelaar wins Unilever Food Solutions Senior Chef of the Year 2016

Henrico Grobbelaar, Executive Chef at Southern Sun The Cullinan in Cape Town has been awarded the Unilever Food Solutions Senior Chef of the Year 2016 at the final competition cook off which took place in Durban last week. Started over 40 years ago, the UFS Chef of the Year is one of the oldest culinary competitions in the country and is a key event on the culinary calendar.

“It is an honour to be chosen as the winner of this prestigious competition, particularly as this year’s inclusion of the mystery pantry as well as the addition of the energy efficiency and sustainability mark raised the standard of the competition even further. I have been privileged to win a number of competitions and awards throughout my career but this was the cherry on the cake for me as it is one of the awards that I have been striving to win for some time,” says Grobbelaar.

Grobbelaar is one of South Africa's most creative and celebrated young chefs with a long list of accolades and an enviable resume, which includes: Sunday Times Chef of the Year 2009; San Pellegrino International Young Chef of the World 2009; Executive Chef to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland 2010; 2010 FIFA World Cup; Winner of Chopped South Africa 2013; and most recently, selection as captain of the National Culinary Olympic Team who will represent South Africa in the IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany in October 2016. 

His rise to ‘fame’ hasn’t been meteoric. It has been steady and consistent. After more than a decade in the industry, Henrico joined Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun The Cullinan hotel in February this year as the Executive Chef. This luxurious, iconic hotel is no stranger to awards and accolades, which made this partnership a perfect fit.

 “We are extremely proud of Henrico and his achievements. This award once again reflects his enormous level of commitment and effort to succeed. His cuisine is innovative and exciting as is evident in his ability to elevate classic dishes to mouth-watering new heights,” concludes Garry Reed, General Manager at Southern Sun The Cullinan.

Local and global achievements for South African sommelier

Mauritian-born South African sommelier, Miguel Chan, Group Sommelier for Tsogo Sun, has notched up two significant industry achievements recently and has been recognised both globally and locally by peers for his skills and his contribution. Earlier this year he won the 2015 Vinexpo Challenge in Bordeaux in France and he was last week inducted into the South African Brandy Guild.

The Vinexpo Challenge was ‘A Blind Tasting with Paolo Basso’. Basso is the World’s Best Sommelier (a lifetime title held by only 14 individuals throughout the world since 1969) and the challenge involved correctly identifying 10 great classic wines from around the world selected by him.

Says Chan, “Vinexpo, as the leading international exhibition for the wine and spirits sector, is always a valuable and fascinating event, but this year was an amazing experience for me – not least because I managed to finish the Vinexpo Challenge against 120 wine professionals from around the world with the highest marks. It was a total and wonderful surprise to hear the announcement that ‘the winner is from South Africa’,” he adds. Chan’s prize was an exclusive double magnum (three-litre bottle) of Champagne Bollinger Rose.

Chan represented Tsogo Sun as the African continent’s leading hotel group and had the opportunity to talk about his 12 years of experience working as a sommelier in South Africa and discussing the wine market evolutions.

A leading topic at the expo where Chan was a panellist was Africa as the future destination for wines and spirits. This was the first time ever that Africa was a topic of discussion within the international wine and spirits sector.  Chan discussed Tsogo Sun’s wine programme, the growth of the group’s wine sales, particularly in Gauteng and more recently in KwaZulu-Natal which has seen a tripling of consumption since 2009.

“We also discussed the African wine and spirits market as a whole, which is one of the most intricate in the world. Complicated, informal, and a difficult business environment with limited access to reliable market information,” he says, adding that more and more Africans are enjoying disposable income for the first time and with improving economic and political conditions, significant outside investment and better internal organisational structures have meant that Africa’s key markets now present one of the world’s biggest opportunities for medium- and long-term growth.

A strong message that Chan shared with the wine world during Vinexpo was to encourage groundwork in Africa, engagement with African consumers, and training for sommeliers, food & beverage managers, and retail buyers. “We are at a turning point in the industry; it is fast emerging as one of the most dynamic wines and spirits market in the world. The new generation of young Africans is keen to learn more and are rather adventurous about the great wines and spirits of the world. They are experiencing them as part of their lifestyle. The global wine and spirit sector would do well to embrace this vast potential.”

Chan’smost recent achievement – his induction into the prestigious South African Brandy Guild – took place in Johannesburg on 14 October, when he was presented with the Brandy Guild Medal of Honour.

“Membership of the South African Brandy Guild is by nomination only and acknowledges the efforts of respected individuals who raise awareness of our brandy’s global champion status,” says Christelle Reade-Jahn, director of the SA Brandy Foundation. The Guild comprises individuals identified by the South African Brandy Foundation and its partners for their enthusiasm and outstanding contributions in promoting the historical importance and world-class qualities of South African brandy.

According to the SA Brandy Foundation, brandy was first distilled on South African shores 300 years ago. It’s a mainstay of the wine industry and a significant contributor to the economy as South Africa’s most widely consumed and loved spirit. It’s also a consistent winner in annual competitions of global brandies.

Tsogo Sun chefs scoop team award for a 2nd year at the Unilever Chef of the Year 2015

 
Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani hotel’s team of talented chefs scooped the Unilever Food Solutions Chef of the year 2015 award in the “Bring Your Best Team” category for a second consecutive year- the first time this has been achieved in the competition.
 
Leading the team- which was awarded a grand prize of R20 000 for their innovation and skill, was Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani Executive Chef, Shaun Munro who showcased culinary excellence together with Executive Sous Chefs, Clinton Bonhomme and Prenolan Naidoo as well as Food and Beverage Manager- Bars Justin Sewpershad.
 
The Bring Your Best Team category, in which teams were required to prepare a three course menu to serve six using compulsory ingredients, was highly contested by teams from various leading hotels throughout the country.  
 
The reigning champions in the category were once again recognised for their novel use of the Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) products, the originality of their recipes and fusion of flavors. They were also recognised for the complexity in their menu, the level of skill showcased as well as their presentation.
 
“We are extremely proud of our team, they have once again displayed great craftsmanship and amazing team work, a trait that is synonymous with the Tsogo Sun culture,” said Mike Jackson, Operations Director, Tsogo Sun Hotels KZN.
 
Now in its 40-year, and regarded as the premier culinary competition in South Africa, competing chefs were selected following regional finals in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

“We are exceptionally excited and proud to win this category for a second time as the competitors raise the bar each year but we believe it is constant innovation,  creativity, skill and teamwork that we pride ourselves on in the kitchen,” said Munro.
 
“After a gruelling judging process from food industry judges, we recognise that these competitions provide a benchmark in the industry pushing us to constantly sharpen our culinary skills while learning from each other and sharing our ideas, which is an asset to our daily operations,” added Munro.
 
This was the first year that the competition was endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) and a WACS-accredited judge oversaw the judging delegation as well as the overall judging procedure.

“The entire competition was tightly contested in all categories, again proving the exceptional world-class standards that our chefs in South Africa constantly achieve.” said Remco Bol, Managing Director of Unilever Food Solutions South Africa.
 
Bol noted that the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) endorsement and oversight added a new dimension of professionalism to the competition, taking it to the next level in international culinary competition standings.
 
Craig Elliott, Executive Head Chef of Unilever Food Solutions South Africa said that the competition has steadily grown in prestige over the decades and has been the making of many renowned South African chefs’ careers.

“We’re exceptionally proud of what this competition is continuing to contribute to the South African culinary industry, which was evidenced by the wide range of creative and delicious menu items that all the contestants delivered at the finals,” he added.