Chef 5: Vukani Khwela

ENTHUSIASTIC and ready to walk away as the crémé de la crémé of Zululand chefs is Vukani Khwela (23) of the Protea Hotel Richards Bay.

Hailing from Durban and relatively new in town, Vukani is the youngest of the competing chefs

Earning several distinctions during his matric year, specifically in his favourite subject, hospitality, Vukani later enrolled at the International Hotel School where he graduated in Hotel Management,

Inspired by the beauty of art, Vukani says he gets an adrenalin rush walking into work every day where he is free to explore his creativity.

Not conformed to the trends of traditional or contemporary cooking, his niche is ‘freestyling’, which has seen him create winning dishes in previous competitions.

In awe of the incredibly talented and no-nonsense Gordon Ramsay, Vukani has already taken steps to achieve a top class reputation, having previously won Unilever’s Junior Chef of the Year title in 2011 and honing his skills at several food and wine exhibitions.

Ready for the showdown, Vukani says he is bringing skills, talent, speed and strategy to the competition.