Impeccable culinary style and skill took pride of place on the menu, when the nationwide hunt for the Peroni Chef culminated in the selection of the winner on 4 November 2009 in Johannesburg.
During the La Cucina di Peroni (the Peroni Kitchen) event at Fashion TV in Cedar Square, Fourways, South Africa’s newest celebrity-chef-in-the-making was chosen from 12 finalists, who all had two things in common: their passion for food and their ability to look stylish while cooking up a storm.
Aspiring chefs pitted their culinary prowess against each other in the regional heats, and on Wednesday night a selection of SA’s finest gastronomes took part in the Johannesburg finals.
The finalists were: Paul Gindra, 29, from Johannesburg; Craig Hounsom, 29; Jason Whitehead, 28, from Cape Town; Matthew Smith, 26, from Bryanston; Devon James, 21, from Dainfern; Christopher Christians, 21, from Benoni; Jono Proudfoot, 23, from Cape Town; Damian Russell, 23, from Dainfern; Artur Weissnar, 33, from Johannesburg; Wamukelwe Zuma, 23, from Johannesburg; Sean Robertson, 27, from Durban; and Calvin van der Sant, 25, from Johannesburg.
After a tense cook-off, Craig Hounsom was named the winning chef, who will hold the coveted title of Peroni Chef for the next year.
Peroni is brewed to an authentic Italian recipe, and is therefore associated with a crisp and refreshing Italian taste. The winning Peroni Chef will epitomise the coveted lifestyle of style, sophistication and elegant cuisine.
During the Peroni Chef finals on Wednesday, each chef was required to prepare an Italian-style creation. They were judged according to a variety of criteria, including personal style; professionalism; appearance; experience; presentation; creativity; and taste.
There were three live cooking rounds, each contested by four chefs who pulled out all the stops in a bid to whip up the most tastebud-tempting delicacies. The winning culinary wizard from each round then had to motivate to the judges why he should become the Peroni Chef.
The competition was heated and the quality of creations was extremely high, with participants drawing on their penchant for innovation and stylish presentation, while vying for an opportunity to be the Peroni Chef. But in the end there could only be one winner – so look out for the victorious Peroni Chef whipping up a feast at a restaurant near you very soon!
The Peroni Chef talent search was supported by the South African Chefs Association, which assisted with the judging.