Wendy Maxwell, head chef at Maxwell’s Restaurant, has been selected as a finalist to participate in the Sunday Times Food Awards competition. She will fly to Johannesburg on Monday 4 October to compete against five other finalists in the Sunday Times Stalwart of the Kitchen category.
Wendy Maxwell, head chef at Maxwell’s Restaurant, has been selected as a finalist to participate in the Sunday Times Food Awards competition. She will fly to Johannesburg on Monday 4 October to compete against five other finalists in the Sunday Times Stalwart of the Kitchen category.
The competition has four categories: Chef of the Year, Young Chef of the Year, the Chef Schools Challenge, and a new subdivision, Sunday Times Stalwart of the Kitchen.
This category offers chefs and cooks over the age of 35 the chance to be recognised for their experience and service in the kitchen.
The first prize for the winning stalwart is R10 000 and a Weber braai. The prize for the Chef of the Year is R50 000 which is the highest amount of prize money for a chef competition ever in South Africa.
To enter the competition, entrants had to submit a description of the menu, preparations and photographs of their chosen dishes, which had to contain special African ingredients from a predefined list.
Wendy used morogo (African spinach) in crustless quiches, and made vegetable crisps from locally available vegetables such as beetroot, butternut, and madumba (African potato).
For the main course she made a mussel risotto and braaied sardines with chickpeas, tomato, and parsley. Wendy has been in the food industry for 18 years, and opened Maxwell’s Restaurant in 2005.
She is excited for the upcoming competition, even though, “It’s going to be a bit of a challenge and nervewracking, but a great experience.
But if you don’t put yourself out there, you’re never going to get anything.” The competition will take place on 5 October at the South African Chef’s Association’s Skills kitchen at the University of Johannesburg.
