Luke van Dyk, 20, of Durbanville, is among six young chefs who will represent Cape Town in the finals of the 2024 RCL Foods Young Chefs and Bakers Challenge, in KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday October 3.
Sixty chefs compete simultaneously in three cities across the country, with 10 teams competing in both Johannesburg and Durban, and 10 teams in Cape Town. Each team has two chefs.
Our sister publication, The CapeTowner, reported that in Cape Town, the 20 chefs competed in a heated semi-final at Makers’ Landing at the V&A Waterfront on Thursday September 12 (“Six young chefs who put their best plates forward, off to finals of cooking contest,” September 17).
The competing teams had three hours to bake bread, cook a main and a dessert out of ingredients provided.
In Cape Town, three teams received their golden ticket to the finals after a team of judges evaluated their courses on taste, presentation, technique, and hygiene.
Finalists from Cape Town included students from the Silwood School of Cookery in Rondebosch: Aimee Dunn and Gina Kamps, Michael Botha and Liyah Jassat, and Annabelle van der Westhuizen and Luke van Dyk.
Mr Van Dyk said he had started doing a three-year cordon bleu course this year.
“I was born with a passion for cooking. What helped me decide to become a chef was when my mom started her own catering business back in 2015. I have been helping her around the kitchen since I was around the age of 11, so food has always been a part of my life.”
After finishing his course, he plans to to France for three years to learn as much as he can from the best chefs in the world.
“Come and eat at my restaurant after I get back from France,” he said.
