TOP HONOURS AND R40 000 CASH PRIZE TAKEN AT SA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS CULINARY COMPETITION

The prestigious annual By Invitation Only Chef of the Year 2010 challenge culminated yesterday afternoon with Dilene Boyd (nee Cranna), walking away with the top title and R40 0000 in cash. For the second time in a row, this prestigious title has been won by a female participant, who was also the previous year’s winner of the 2009 Unilever Food Solutions Senior Chef of the Year competition.

For the last five years Unilever Food Solutions have annually invited six of South Africa’s leading chefs to compete in their exclusive By Invitation Only Competition. This year marked the sixth anniversary of what has grown to be South African’s most thrilling annual cookery competition, and again saw six of the country’s best chefs vie for top position.

All handpicked for their contribution to the food industry, enduring reputations, unwavering commitment to quality and standards of excellence, and their outstanding culinary talent and skill, the six elite chefs who competed in the mystery basket cook-off at Hostex Cape on the 10th March, were Michelle Barry (Principal: Christina Martin School of Food and Wine, Durban), Dilene Boyd (nee Cranna. Independent Pastry Chef, Johannesburg), Rudi Liebenberg (Executive Chef: Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town), Mike Bassett (Chef Patron: Ginja Restaurant/Myoga Restaurant, Cape Town), Paul Gindra (Executive Chef: Radisson Blu Hotel, Sandton), Nicholas Froneman (Executive Chef: Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban).

Each chef brought their own individual edge to the competition, leaving the challenge very heated as they worked tirelessly to present their three-course menu to the judges. It was an all-or-nothing, winner-takes-all, mystery basket contest of the highest stakes – the ultimate in culinary competitiveness – but only one could walk away with the title.

After three grueling hours Dilene presented her winning menu: a starter of cured kingklip on a parmesan pesto floating island topped with deep fried yolk coated in mash flakes and a smoked salmon parcel filled with red lentil salsa on mixed greens, a main of herb crusted lamb loin on onion and cabbage mash, braised chicken and chorizo stuffed roasted onion with mixed vegetables, and carrot soufflé with pan juices,  and a dessert of white chocolate mousse set on layers of vanilla and chocolate sponge, topped with macadamia nut praline, baked chocolate mousse and mixed berry salad.

Says Dilene, “I really wasn’t expecting to win. At the end when I looked at the people I had been competing with, I reached a point where my confidence levels became very low, and I then made a conscious decision that who ever wins the competition wins and I will accept it. I’ll also admit that as a pastry chef I’m not very strong in the hot kitchen - so you can imagine what a shock it was to hear my name being announced as the winner.”

2010 seems to be Dilene’s year as she has also realized her dream of opening a culinary studio, SALON DE CULINAIRE, which opened its doors on Monday, 08 March and is now up and running. When asked what her plans were with her R40 000 price money, Dilene confidently says that she is going to spoil herself, and spend all her winnings on her alone.

This year’s compulsory ingredients, which the chefs received in their mystery basket just half an hour before they were due to start cooking, were Knorr Tomato Pronto, Knorr Demi Glace, Knorr Mash Flakes and  Carte D'Or White Chocolate Mousse. The compulsory proteins were 300g kingklip, 150g smoked salmon, 300g lamb loin, three chicken thighs and chorizo sausage.

The South African Chefs Association (SACA) accredited judges tasked with selecting this year’s winner were, Brian McCune (Owner, The Food Biz, Cape Town), Kevin Gibbs (Executive Chef, Ratanga Junction, Cape Town), Andy Cordier (Executive Chef, Grand West Casino, Cape Town), Stephen Billingham (President, South African Chefs Association) and Andrew Atkinson (Executive Chef, Michelangelo Hotel, Sandton)

“The six chefs who competed in By Invitation Only this year represent not only some of the greatest culinary talent in South Africa, but are also chefs who have stood out from the crowd and carved a niche for themselves in a highly creative and competitive field, giving back to the industry and the country by constantly reinventing themselves and their craft,” says Craig Elliot, Executive Head Chef of Unilever Food Solutions. “Congratulations to Dilene and to all six chefs, who are all winners in their own right.”

This prestigious competition was won last year by Jodi-Ann Pearton of The Food Design Agency in Johannesburg and has, since its inception in 2005, seen some of the country’s most celebrated chefs compete for and win the top prize, including Arnold Tanzer (Food on the Move, Johannesburg), David Grier (De Oude Welgemoed Restaurant, Cape Town), Margot Janse (Le Quartier Francais), Graeme Shapiro (formerly of The Restaurant), Reuben Riffel (Reuben’s, Franschhoek) and George Jardine (Jardine Restaurant).

ABOUT DILENE

Unilever Food Solutions Chef of the Year 2009 competition winner, Dilene Boyd – an independent pastry chef from Johannesburg – has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the culinary industry. Apart from her close to 12 years experience in the industry, she has worked in no less than 10 world class establishments including the five-star Table Bay Hotel, the prestigious Mount Nelson Hotel, and a stint work in the UK, where she spent two years working all over for the Hilton group of hotels, and also gained work experience at the Savoy, Dorchester, Ramsay kitchens and Marco Pierre White kitchens. In addition to this impressive career history, Dilene has been a member of the South African National Culinary Team since 2005. She played a pivotal role when Culinary Team SA won a Gold medal in the Restaurant of Nations category, and two silvers and one bronze medal in the Culinary Arts display category at the international IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany in 2008. She is also a South African gold medal winner in the South African Chefs Association’s Salon Culinaire Category C; won a silver medal in Category C of the Culinary Arts; and was awarded a silver medal in the Restaurant of Nations category, at the Food & Hotel Asia competition in Singapore in 2006.

Last year saw Dilene venture on her own to do what she loves most as a skilled pastry chef and that is to bake wedding cakes and train young up-and-coming pastry chefs to become experts in their field. Dilene has also committed to a four year training stint, aiming to represent South Africa at the IKA Culinary Olympics in 2012, and once again bring home Gold.

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ISSUED ON BEHALF OF UNILEVER FOODSOLUTIONS BY STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT JENÉ GODFREY ON 082 459 8553 / 011 672 2037 OR jene@stratpr.co.za