A local hospitality school — SAHTC (The Hospitality School) — continues to produce young chefs who are making their mark on the global culinary stage.
This year, aspiring young chef McLaughlin Nkeneza showcased his skills at the Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) in India, where he impressed with his beef preparation.
The YCO has become a prestigious platform for the best young chefs from around the world to demonstrate their culinary talents.
Organised under the auspices of the International Hospitality Council, the competition is hosted by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), part of the Indismart Group.
This large conglomerate operates IndiSmart Hotels and offers a wide range of services in hospitality management education, training, and consultancy across India and Southeast Asia.
Participants compete for the coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals of the Suborno Bose Challenge, as well as several other awards.
The competition has been held annually for the past 11 years since its inception in 2015. The 10th edition took place recently, from February 2 to 8, across several Indian cities, including Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Goa.
Nkeneza, an 18-year-old second-year student in the Chefs on Stage Food Preparation and Culinary Arts Programme, represented SAHTC and Zimbabwe at this prestigious event.
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Accompanied by his mentor, Angela Muvadi, Nkeneza performed admirably, though the final results were not available at the time of publication.
In a statement to IndependentXtra, SAHTC said, “Most of our trainees are placed in top hospitality establishments all over the world.”
Recently, five students from the school returned from the United States and Europe, where they had been attached to hospitality establishments for a year.
Zimbabwe was placed in Group B of the YCO, alongside countries such as Mexico, Austria, France, Nepal, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and Wales.
This marks the eighth year that SAHTC has participated in the competition.
Past representatives from the school include Tadiwa Tendayi, the late Takudzwa Matinenga, Tinotenda Mutamba, Walter Maseko, Tafadzwa Siyanga, Eliasaph Chipare, and Makanaka Ganayupfu.
“The 2019 YCO competition saw our school representative walk away with the Rising Star Award, and our 2023 representative, Eliasaph Chipare, clinched the award for Best in Kitchen Hygiene,” the school said.
Established over 20 years ago, SAHTC is renowned for providing world-class training for both the local and global hospitality and tourism industries.
The school is ranked among the best hospitality training institutions in Africa.
It collaborates with educational organisations, both local and international, including City and Guilds London, The American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, and CHRIE, among others.
These partnerships are designed to support the school’s mission of delivering training excellence.
