The plan includes a renewed focus on regional skills development, industry-wide standards, and the infrastructure needed to support a future bid to host the World Chefs Congress in 2032.
SA Chefs President Coo Pillay also confirmed that SA will host the prestigious African Culinary Cup this June, marking the competition’s homecoming after more than a decade. Up to 10 000 international visitors, chefs and culinary experts are expected to attend.
“This is such a momentous year for SA Chefs to be hosting the African Culinary Cup,” Pillay said. “The African Culinary Cup was actually a Proudly SA chef initiative that was inaugurated right here in SA in 2014.”
Pillay noted that the competition was created to provide a professional and inspiring platform for the continent’s leading culinary teams. The inaugural edition featured teams from Egypt, SA, Namibia and Mauritius. This year, participation has been significantly expanded.
“I am so proud to announce that we have extended the invitation to 15 countries all the way from the Middle East to West Africa, East Africa and obviously Southern Africa,” Pillay said.
The association’s 2026 strategy aims to strengthen SA’s position in the global culinary community by investing in chef training pipelines, mentorship networks, and national competitiveness. SA Chefs says that developing robust regional training hubs will be critical to ensuring the country is ready to host major international culinary events in the coming years.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
