Fourways chef to compete in prestigious culinary competition

One of Fourways’ leading professional chefs has been selected to compete in the prestigious By Invitation Only Chef of the Year culinary competition, which will see six elite chefs pitting their skills against one another for the ultimate prize of R40 000 in cash. The local chef in the line-up is Dilene Boyd (nee Cranna. Independent Pastry Chef, Johannesburg).

Each year for the past five years Unilever Foodsolutions have invited six of South Africa’s leading chefs to compete in their exclusive By Invitation Only Competition. 2010 marks the sixth anniversary of what has grown to be South African’s most prestigious annual cookery competition, and will again see six of the country’s best chefs vie for top position. And the winner-takes-all prize of R40 000 in cash? It’s anyone’s guess as to who will walk away with it this year!

It’s a competition which chefs across the country aspire to be invited to enter, and the elite chefs who’ll be competing in the mystery basket cook-off at Hostex Cape in March this year, are Michelle Barry (Principal: Christina Martin School of Food and Wine, Durban), Dilene Boyd (nee Cranna. Independent Pastry Chef, Johannesburg), Rudi Liebenberg (Executive Chef: Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town), Mike Bassett (Chef Patron: Ginja Restaurant/Myoga Restaurant, Cape Town), Paul Gindra (Executive Chef: Radisson Blu Hotel, Sandton), Nicholas Froneman (Executive Chef: Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban).

All handpicked for their contribution to the food industry, enduring reputations, unwavering commitment to quality and standards of excellence, and their outstanding culinary talent and skill, each chef will bring their own edge to the competition, leaving no doubt that the challenge will be heated. It’s an all-or-nothing winner-takes-all, mystery basket contest of the highest stakes – the ultimate in culinary competitiveness!

See these six culinary trendsetters in action on the MAC Brothers stand at Hostex Cape at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 10 March 2010. Visit www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.za for further information on the cook-off schedule.

About Dilene Boyd

Independent pastry chef – Fourways, Johannesburg
Unilever Foodsolutions Chef of the Year 2009 competition winner, Dilene Boyd, has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the culinary industry.

Apart from her close to 12 years experience in the industry, she has worked in no less than 10 world class establishments including the five-star Table Bay Hotel, the prestigious Mount Nelson Hotel, and a stint work in the UK, where she spent two years working all over for the Hilton group of hotels, and also gained work experience at the Savoy, Dorchester, Ramsay kitchens and Marco Pierre White kitchens.

In addition to this impressive career history, Dilene has been a member of the South African National Culinary Team since 2005. She played a pivotal role when Culinary Team SA won a Gold medal in the Restaurant of Nations category, and two silvers and one bronze medal in the Culinary Arts display category at the international IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany in 2008.

She is also a South African gold medal winner in the South African Chefs Association’s Salon Culinaire Category C; won a silver medal in Category C of the Culinary Arts; and was awarded a silver medal in the Restaurant of Nations category, at the Food & Hotel Asia competition in Singapore in 2006.

Last year saw Dilene venture on her own to do what she loves most as a skilled pastry chef and that is to bake wedding cakes and train young up-and-coming pastry chefs to become experts in their field. Dilene has also committed to a four year training stint, aiming to represent South Africa at the IKA Culinary Olympics in 2012, and once again bring home Gold.

• Where did you train? I did not have any formal chefs training, but I worked at the Table Bay Hotel and the Mount Nelson, gaining lots of experience.
• Career history: Table Bay Hotel – DCP Pastry, Mount Nelson Hotel – assistant pastry chef, Hilton Group in UK (experiential work in Ramsay and Marco Pierre White kitchens, Savoy London and Dorchester) – Pastry chef, Mount Grace Hotel – Pastry Chef, Sheraton Hotel – Pastry chef
• What inspires you? My two beagle boys.
• What’s your best-ever culinary creation? It has to be the dessert that won gold for Team SA at the 2008 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt.
• What will you remember as your funniest moment in the kitchen? Slipping on a wet floor with four trays of petit fours in my hands.
• Who would you list as your mentors? I only have one – Wade van der Merwe.
• What’s a typical day in your kitchen? I don’t work in a kitchen full time anymore.
• How do you keep up to date with trends? International competitions, books, chef friends, contacts abroad and the internet.
• What’s a trend that’s inspiring you at the moment? Simplicity.
• What are your current favourite ingredients? Ginger, lemongrass, vanilla pods, Van der Hum.
• What are your favourite restaurants at the moment? Curry Palace in Ferndale.
• What’s your all-time favourite restaurant? KFC – for the sprinkle pops with chutney flavour.
• What’s your favourite comfort food? Macaroni & cheese.
• Who would you most like to cook for? My new husband – he loves whatever I feed him.
• Who would you least like to cook for? Anybody with too much money who think they know everything about food and the preparation thereof.
• What’s your can’t-do-without utensil? Pastry knife – I can de-bone a chicken with it if I have to, and I find it very difficult to cut with anything else.
• What’s the best cooking advice you ever received? Simplicity is a sign of perfection.
• What will you do with your R40 000 if you win the competition? Go on a holiday at the end of the year, and spend all of it on myself!

More about the challenge

The invitation to take up the challenge in the ultimate competition of their careers comes from South Africa’s leading foodservice manufacturer and supplier, Unilever Foodsolutions, as part of their annual Chef of the Year competition.

A highlight on South Africa’s culinary calendar, the Unilever Foodsolutions Chef of the Year has grown over the years to become the foremost competition in South Africa, with prize money exceeding R15 000 in the Junior category and R20 000 in the Senior category. Originally known as the Marvello Chef of the Year, the Unilever Foodsolutions Chef of the Year has grown over the years to represent the finest culinary talent in our country and has seen its competitors take up the challenge, win, and use the opportunity to boost their careers.

This prestigious competition was won last year by Jodi-Ann Pearton of The Food Design Agency in Johannesburg and has, since its inception in 2005, seen some of the country’s most celebrated chefs compete for and win the top prize, including Arnold Tanzer (Food on the Move, Johannesburg), David Grier (De Oude Welgemoed Restaurant, Cape Town), Margot Janse (Le Quartier Francais), Graeme Shapiro (formerly of The Restaurant), Reuben Riffel (Reuben’s, Franschhoek) and George Jardine (Jardine Restaurant).