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Local cooks shoot for prestigious title
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February 8, 2010
By Lindsay Ord
Two Durban-based chefs are part of a hand-picked group of six who will be competing in the prestigious By Invitation Only Chef of the Year competition at the Hostex hospitality and catering exhibition in Cape Town next month.
Michelle Barry, principal of the Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in Westville, and Nicholas Froneman, executive chef of the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel in Durban, will be pitting their skills against other culinary talents for a prize of R40 000.
This is the sixth year the competition has been held by Unilever Food Solutions, and the chefs will be cooking a three-course meal from a mystery basket of ingredients.
"We are given three hours to prepare, present our menus to the judges and cook," says Froneman.
"The mystery basket will contain either meat, fish or poultry, along with other ingredients, so I will plan according to that. The dessert will be easier to plan for, as fruit is usually included."
Froneman has worked in Egypt, Singapore and Tanzania in top hotels and restaurants, but despite having prepared exotic dishes in other countries, he says he is inspired by our fresh, uncomplicated food and excellent ingredients.
"I love the current trend of excellent quality food, with minimum preparation, that emphasises the natural flavour of the food," he says.
But despite having cooked for the rich and famous abroad, he says his favourite people to cook for are his wife, Eve, and daughter, Raine.
Barry says the heat will be on in more ways than one.
"It's an open kitchen and there are many factors like timing and temperatures, so the pressure is on, but it is a positive pressure," she says.
Barry has had experience in Belgium, where she was Chef de Partie in two top restaurants, and at The Vineyard in Cape Town, where she was Sous Chef. In 1991, she joined the Christina Martin School and has since won a host of culinary titles and medals.
Her mentors, she says, are her mother and founder of the school, Christina Martin, world-renowned chef Dr Billy Gallagher and TV celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
She says she has a secret desire to cook for Richard Gere "as long as I can get to eat with him".
Other finalists are Dilene Boyd and Paul Gindra from Johannesburg, and Rudi Liebenberg and Mike Bassett of Cape Town.
The cook-off schedule can be found on www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.za
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