The South African National Culinary Team will be participating in the 2016 IKA Culinary Olympics from 22 to 25 October in Erfurt, Germany, against 32 countries for the highest accolades the culinary industry has to offer.
As any other Olympic athlete would, this team of seven extremely dedicated and talented chefs trains relentlessly (with no remuneration) in the months leading up to the most prestigious culinary competition on the global culinary calendar.
With just four months until they board a plane bound for Germany, the South African National Culinary Team are getting in as much practice as possible. On Monday, 20 June, as part of this intense preparation the team presented their three-course Olympic menu to 110 extremely fortunate invited guests at a glamourous dinner held at 3SIXTY Lounge at Montecasino.
What set this practice apart from previous practices, was the format of the evening. The conditions under which the team will be competing were replicated at the dinner and the meal was served restaurant-style just at it will be for the Olympic judges and patrons at the Restaurant of Nations in the Olympic Village during the IKA Culinary Olympics. In line with Culinary Olympic rules, the team had six hours to prepare their official three-course menu.
The South African National Culinary Team’s Olympic Hot Kitchen menu features:
- Starter: Cape Crayfish ‘Malay’ – poached crayfish, pressed carrot terrine, carrot mayonnaise and Malay curry sauce.
- Main Course: Springbok ‘Masakhane’ – pan-roasted loin of springbok, rolled veal sweetbreads, red cabbage and cider purée, savoy cabbage and Boulangére potato.
- Dessert: Textured Splash of Raspberry, Rose, Coconut & White Chocolate – coconut sand, coconut sorbet, coconut sponge, rose jelly, rose meringue, raspberry mousse, and raspberry jelly.
The guest list included the proud families of some team members, as well as culinary team alumni (members of the first South African team to compete at the 1980 Olympics) Wolfgang Heiduck and Manfred Muellers; and SACA President, Stephen Billingham who presented the team with their official Springbok blazers after the dinner in a ceremony fuelled with emotion and pride.
The objective was not only to showcase the team’s culinary prowess, but to garner the national support they so richly deserve for flying the South African flag at Olympic level. These men and women are every bit as important to South Africa as the runners, swimmers and other athletes who have achieved the same level of greatness in their chosen sport.
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL CULINARY TEAM SPONSORS & PARTNERS
The South African National Culinary Team will be participating in the IKA Culinary Olympics under the auspices of the South African Chefs Association. The team’s participation has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of headline sponsor LSC/Imperial; along with partners City Lodge Hotel Group – which provides accommodation for the team when they travel to practices, ChefWorks – which provides the team’s entire uniform range including casual wear, Turn ‘n Slice – which provides all the fruit and vegetables used for the practices and dinners, and N1 Restaurant Suppliers – which provides the Springbok meat for all Hot Kitchen practices and promotional lunches/dinners over the two years of practice and preparation ahead of the IKA Culinary Olympics.
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL CULINARY TEAM ITINERARY
The team’s itinerary leading up to the Olympics in October includes preparing a by-invitation-only dinner for 110 on 20 June at 3Sixty at Montecasino in Fourways. On 18 July the team will be preparing another by-invitation-only dinner for 110 at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town; and finally the team practice concentrating on the Cold Table will take place on 19 and 20 September. *
To follow the South African National Culinary Team’s Olympic journey on social media, go to:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Culinary-Team-SA-121211054527/
Twitter: @CulinaryTeamSA
Instagram: @CulinaryTeamSA
Official Hashtag: #SAOlympicChef
For further information log on to www(dot)saca(dot)co(dot)za.
* Press Release
