The Zimbabwe Chef’s Association Annual Salon Culinaire Competition took place in the grounds of the Rainbow Towers Hotel over last weekend, alongside the Sanganai Travel Expo.
Report by Clare Hankey
The event was a great success and the Judging Panel included well-known local hospitality personality Glenn Stutchbury and guest chef and judge Pierre Thain from the United States.
The competition was open to chefs from across the country and was very well-subscribed with almost 130 chefs entering the various categories and all four provinces represented.
A fine achievement indeed and a demonstration of the commitment of these hard-working representatives of the hospitality trade to their craft, which is also, of course, an art!
The Live Cooking Contest took place on Friday October 19 and was open to the public who came to enjoy watching many of our top chefs in action.
Teams of two prepared and presented their finest signature dishes to the discerning judges who, after much deliberation awarded first place to Chef Nekatame and Chrispen T Mudhefi of A’Zambezi River Lodge.
Second place was awarded to Lloyd Kofi and Munashe Chipuriro of The Brontë Hotel and in third place was the team of Chef Korogwe from A’Zambezi River Lodge and Chef Brenda Shambira from Rainbow Towers Hotel.
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The competition comprised 11 entry categories, showcasing a spectacular range of culinary skills with everything from gorgeous sculptures and delicate ceremonial pastries and cakes through to cold platters and two course menus.
Participants and judges had an early start on Saturday morning with the presentation of the Salon Culinaire dishes starting at 6am.
This early start was of course to ensure that the food did not spoil in the sweltering heat and it allowed more than ample time for the huge number of entries to be displayed, enjoyed and judged by everyone who attended.
There was much lively banter between the chefs, all of whom were thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to catch up with colleagues, share ideas and innovations and jokes from kitchens around the country.
It was very encouraging to see some talented female chefs taking part and winning prizes in what is seen in Zimbabwe as a predominantly male profession, and great to see chefs from different establishments working together in the teams.
Even more encouraging for local foodies, was the performance of chefs from outside Harare, who are not employed at the large tourist resorts.
Testimony indeed to the fact that we’ve got some brilliant chefs in some not yet so well-known establishments. Perhaps their excellent achievements will put these establishments well and truly on the map!
In the Cold Platter Category Chef Chinodyenama of The Kingdom at Victoria Falls Hotel took the honours, with second place being won by Chef Sibanda of Victoria Falls Hotel. Chef Chiduku of Golden Peacock Villa Hotel in Kwekwe took third place.
The Two Course Menu Category was won by Crowne Plaza Monomotapa’s Chef Mangwende, followed in close second by Chef Chihora of African Sun Amber Hotel in Mutare and third place was awarded to Chef Mutasa of Meikles Hotel.
Almost everyone loves something sweet and there was fierce competition in the four categories for desserts and baked goods. The public spent a great deal of time gazing longingly at the carefully prepared and presented entries and there were a number of children desperate to sample a slice of crocodile cake! Winners in these categories and others are listed separately.
The Sculpture and Showpiece Fruit and Vegetable categories provided an opportunity for chefs to demonstrate their skill as sculptors and everyone was amazed by the beauty and magnitude of the creations on show.
Last, but by no means least, were the Student and Apprentice Chefs who will no doubt be taking the competition by storm in a few years time. Warm congratulations to Kudakwashe Munyaradzi and Rosemary Bartolo!
The competition ended on a high note with prize-giving and feedback for the chefs from the judging panel.
Generously supported by hotels, suppliers and stakeholders from the food and beverage industry, including Zoap founder and co-sponsor The Cheeseman which supports the contest each year by donating product for use by competitors, the annual event even received some support from organisations outside of Zimbabwe.
