From 1000 Hills Chef School to Fine Dining, Yachting, and Beyond
After I left school and walked straight into the kitchen at Chefs Table in Umhlanga, an open kitchen where every mistake was public and every lesson was fast. This environment taught me the real pace of a professional kitchen and forced me to improve quickly.
Following that, I took a J1 visa to the USA and spent one year in Colorado working at Restaurant Del Lago, Summit Restaurant, and the Penrose Room. This was my first taste of stricter structure, higher standards, and proper fine-dining systems.
I then moved to Dublin and joined Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, a leading 2-Michelin-star restaurant in Ireland. It was exact and intense and pushed my technique to a new level. This restaurant taught me an integral lesson on how fine dining is impressive; however, it wasn’t the style of cooking that I wanted to pursue long term.
I’d set my sights on yachting, but I knew I needed more range before stepping into that world. So, I returned to the USA on an H2B visa and worked in Florida, Utah, and Massachusetts. All of this provided experience in different styles, different menus, and different service demands. The variety toughened me up and made me adaptable.
Eventually, I joined yachting as a sous chef, working closely with experienced head chefs, which fast-tracked my growth. Yachting comes with its own set of challenges: tight spaces, limited time, unpredictable requests, and demanding guests, but it sharpened my organisational skills, speed, and ability to stay calm under pressure.
Those seasons built the foundation for my first head-chef role.
The foundation of my career came from 1000 Hills Chef School. I was there during Chef Jade’s early years, and she played a big role in setting the foundation for the chef I have become. Thank you! Students are so lucky to have such a great mentor. Not all chefs will be so forgiving.
My Advice for Upcoming Chefs
1. Look after yourself.
There are many different avenues you can go as a chef. Make sure you find the one you flourish in. Make sure to exercise, stretch and, most importantly… eat healthy.
2. Learn everything about the kitchen.
You’ll be running it one day……. pay attention.
3. If it’s not nice, make it twice.
