The cool kids who are making major moves in the culinary scene in South Africa
The world of food has never been more colourful than it is today.
Despite all the adversity of the last few years, there are still creative, bold, and above all, young chefs who are not afraid of risky economic conditions because they are fully sold on their concepts.
We would like to introduce you to extraordinary, young talents that should definitely be on the culinary radar.
Vusi Ndlovu
Vusi Ndlovu gained local and international recognition when he ranked among the top seven at the S. Pellegrino Young Chef finale, in 2018.
Ndlovu now co-owns a restaurant called Edge Restaurant. With a focus on underutilised ingredients and recipes passed down over generations, the restaurant is a holistic celebration of Africa.
The menu, conceptualised by him and inspired by his own heritage, is an ever-changing curation of dishes that highlight indigenous ingredients, re-imagined in a contemporary, minimalist, and respectful way.
These dishes pay homage to Ndlovu’s past experience and curiosity, as well as the rich history of this great continent.
Bea Malherbe
Bea Malherbe is the head chef at FYN Restaurant.
Having climbed the ladder from trainee, Malherbe is a driven leader who brings a kind-hearted spirit to a harsh environment.
When she is not ensuring that guests ultimately have the best experience possible, you will find her climbing Table Mountain, her other love.
Thanks to her farm upbringing, she has an innate respect for the journey of food. Malherbe notes that it is their responsibility as chefs to treat every ingredient with respect, thinking about the people before them, and thinking about those who will come after them.
Ayabonga Gope
Ayabonga Gope who is popularly known as ‘The Cook Dude’, has positioned himself very well in the culinary world.
Born in the Eastern Cape, Gope was once a sous chef at The Commodore Hotel, The Deck House, and the Foodlab and was once an ambassador for Food Lovers Co.
He started cooking at a young age as he used to cook rice while waiting for his mother to come back from work, and from there his love affair with cooking grew.
After finishing high school his mom suggested that he become a chef and he started working in restaurants and studied Hotel Management.
When Gope worked as a sous chef at the Deck House in Cape Town, the youngster became a household name.
He has now embarked on a solo career as a private chef, catering to celebrities across the country. Gope has also cooked on the Expresso breakfast show and continues to push the envelope with his talent.
Paul Thinus Prinsloo
Paul Thinus Prinsloo was the 2019 S. Pellegrino Young Chef, Africa, and Middle East region winner.
Winning the competition certainly gave Prinsloo exposure in the industry, by helping him get his name out there, which has a big influence on how you as a chef can add to the change of the industry.
Born in Bethlehem and raised in Klerksdorp, Prinsloo is a workaholic and he spends most of his time at work and doing adventures when he gets time.
From a young age, he has had an interest in making food and one of his earliest memories of cooking was making fish fingers and chips.
In 2021, Paul Prinsloo, alongside Elissa Abou Tasse, Marcus Gericke, and Callan Austin, launched their own cookbook which provided plenty of inspiration and encouragement to try new techniques – the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Cookbook.
Mmabatho Molefe
Mmabatho Molefe is the head chef and owner of Emazulwini Restaurant, which is situated at the V&A Waterfront’s Makers Landing.
Hailing from Nagina near Mariannhill in KwaZulu-Natal, Molefe started her restaurant to give people a taste of what “Zulu food could be if you re-imagined it”.
She found a niche in fine dining, showcasing the Nguni culture. Emazulwini Restaurant was opened in 2020 after she lost her job in the restaurant industry due to the pandemic.
Molefe uses African ingredients which have been "forgotten about" but are now being sourced from several markets. She also believes in eating sustainably and shows that all cuts of meat can be eaten, from head to tail.
Although her father is part Zulu and part Sesotho, she realised that she knew very little about her Sotho heritage, and it was Zulu cuisine that she related to.
Molefe started cooking before the age of 12, and she and her sister often used to watch the cooking show “Ready. Steady. Cook”.
She did consumer science in high school, where she further developed her love for creating meals. However, a career in the food industry was never on the cards, and after school, she studied politics and law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
During her fifth and final year, she realised that writing five anthropology essays for a single module was not her cup of tea and quit to go to culinary school.
Last year, Emazulwini won the African Restaurant of the Year title at the 4th annual Luxe Restaurant Awards and she was also named one of the greatest hospitality pioneers on The World's 50 Best’s 50 Next list.