& HUNGRY

THE culinary world can be intimidating for anyone looking to enter the industry. This Youth Day, find inspiration from the stories of three young local chefs who are blazing the trail in kitchens across the country and the world.

Self-taught chef Vusumuzi Ndlovu is no stranger to foreign kitchens. In May, the 26-year-old was the only African to compete the 2018 S. Pellegrino Young

Chef competition. He is head chef at Marabi Jazz Club in Johannesburg.

Local chef Nthabeleng Meso hails from Aliwal North in the Eastern Cape and works at Greenhouse restaurant in Constantia, Cape Town. Later this year, she’ll be jetting off to Switzerland to obtain her degree in culinary arts.

Chef Ayabonga Gope is the

2016 runner-up of a cooking reality show. Since his time on the show, Ayabonga, also known as The Cook Dude, makes regular appearances on SABC 3’s

and has established himself as a private chef.

If you show dedication to your work and willingness to learn, your chef will definitely give you guidance and support your growth in the kitchen. One should take opportunities and exposure that comes with taking part in cooking competitions. They provide a platform for an exposure.

I believe young chefs are given the same opportunities in professional kitchens if not more, because young chefs are woke, fresh and have so much energy which is what is needed in the industry. It’s a very challenging industry. One needs to be physically, mentally and emotionally ready for anything.

The gruelling hours and sacrifice. It is a big struggle for young chefs these days. A lot of young chefs want to be superstars. All dreams are valid, but you have to work hard. I faced a lot of different challenges. I tried so hard to be seen and fit in. Kitchens can be cliquey, so naturally, you want to be in the clique. That was a big one for me.

Dealing with unrealistic expectations, and sometimes comparison among chefs. Sometimes, you find some chefs who know you are there to learn, but they just don’t have the patience to teach. I struggled with self-confidence in the kitchen. I was in an unfamiliar environment, new people and new ways of doing things. I can’t say I’m there yet, but I do feel much better about myself and my work.

There are so many challenges faced by young chefs in this industry. There are places where the colour of your skin still matters and I’ve witnessed this. I never used to apply for new positions anywhere I worked because of rejections, even though I knew I could do the job better. Being a young black chef is one of the biggest challenges in this country.

I have been fortunate to travel and work in a few great kitchens all over the world. What I saw was that we are not that bad back home. My idea now is that I’m done being quiet in my corner and starting to do things and achieve things that I was told I could never achieve.

We shouldn’t settle for whatever we find when coming into the industry. We have a duty to improve how things are done. I made a promise to myself that I will bring wellness into the kitchen to support chefs with issues of mental health.