Press release, 11 June 2013

The first workshop of its kind in South Africa, on 1 June 2013 a group of experienced South African chefs attended a WACS Judges Workshop led by renowned Australian chef Rick Stephen at the South African Chefs Association’s Centre for Culinary Excellence in Johannesburg. A successful workshop that accredited 17 new WACS Level B Judges, this was an exciting milestone for the South African Chefs Association (SACA) as well as a fantastic way to up-skill more judges to WACS level to further improve the standards of chef competitions and judging in South Africa. Chef Rick Stephen, WACS Continental Director for Asia and Certified WACS and Certified WACS Trainer, is also the Executive Chef for Singapore’s SATS Food Solutions. 

Chef Stephen conducted the one-day workshop that included both theoretical and practical judging training, which was also a platform for the chefs to ask questions and discuss the various trends and challenges involved in global culinary competition judging. Very experienced in his role as a judge and mentor, Chef Stephen has been very involved in many competitions held across the globe, from Chile, Egypt, Germany, to Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. Stephen has also visited many regions in Asia to mentor large brigades of chefs in Singapore, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia; contributing to the success of a number of these chefs in competitions and in general kitchen work.

 “ The South African Chefs Association’s headquarters was a great venue with a kitchen right next door to it. The group was very enthusiastic, with many questions, and as the day went on, the dialogue was good and at times exciting as there were some good characters in the group who had up-to-date practical questions. The practical session was taken very seriously between all and the results were quite good ”

said Chef Stephen about his experience hosting the WACS Judges Workshop at SACA.

A very valuable course for the 17 chefs, we are sure that this judging workshop will have many positive effects to come – as the chefs mentor their own staff, judge competitions with excellence and mentor young chefs to compete both in South African and across the globe. 

The South African Chefs Association congratulates the following attendees on successfully becoming WACS Level B Judges: 

Nicholas Froneman 

Keiron Reynolds 

George Georgiou 

Stuart Cason 

Richard Pearce 

Stuart McClarty 

Leon Hatton Jones 

Craig Elliot 

Jodi-Ann Pearton 

Henrik Jonsson 

James Khoza

 Pinky 

Maruping

Bruce Burns 

Nadin Pospech-Demmler 

Jerome Norton

Charl Gyzen

Neil Olverman

 For more information please contact SACA’s Communications Manager, Lauren Hills at communications@saca.co.za, or on (011) 482 7250