Young culinary talent shines at NamChefs Chef of the Year competition

The culinary skills of Namibia's young chefs took centre stage last weekend at the NamChefs Chef of the Year competition, held at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) Hotel School.

Seven high school learners from various schools battled it out in an intense cooking challenge, showcasing their skills in the kitchen and vying for the title of School Chef of the Year.

The event tested the creativity, precision and timing of the contestants, who were tasked with preparing a three-course meal with four dishes within a three-hour time frame. Although creativity in creating their dishes was important, the main criteria the judges considered were taste, knife skills, different cooking techniques and presentation.

Each participant crafted a potato gnocchi starter, followed by a pork belly main course and finished with a delicate display of choux pastries for dessert.

This year, the chefs also had to include a Namibian ingredient in their dishes. The choices were mahangu, millet or even mopane worms.



Deep commitment

The competition began with a 30-minute prep session, during which the chefs gathered ingredients, selected equipment and mapped out their cooking strategies. The competition then kicked off, and over the next three hours, each participant demonstrated a deep commitment to flavour, technique and presentation.

“It was my third year as a judge and what stood out for me most was the number of competitors and also the quality of plates they presented,” commented Curt Burns, president of NamChefs and one of the judges.

The Maerua rooftop hosted the awards ceremony later that afternoon, where MC Sanet Prinsloo welcomed the guests.

Uzuvira Haufiku from Waldorf School Windhoek landed the first place, with Dominique Theron coming in second, followed by Lee-Zanne Vermeulen. Theron and Vermeulen are both from Windhoek Afrikaans Private School.

Each winner received a NamChefs certificate, Checkers vouchers and a Citi Produce knife and apron. Haufiku received an extra cash voucher worth N$5 000, an Avani voucher for a 'carnivore and crayfish' Sunday lunch buffet for two, Purple Fig Cooking School voucher for a pasta cooking class, a Hotline pasta machine, a Seapride Foods voucher worth N$500 and a chef jacket from the Namibian Chefs Association.