The Plant Powered Show calls for entries to culinary competition

Image supplied: Previous winner of TPPS competition, Hope Mdakane

This takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 27 - 29 May.

The three-day live in-person event will also incorporate a virtual component, which will allow visitors from other provinces and around the globe to attend online.

The winner of the 2020 competition was Gauteng chef Hope Mdakane, who entered a vegan dessert inspired by his grandmother’s trifle, “I took a dish I love and used the culinary skills I learnt at the HTA School of Culinary Arts where I trained and worked at establishments such as The Hilton and The Saxon as well as stints working overseas.”

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Mdakane said, “[Veganism] is a movement that I feel strongly about, due to the sustainable nature of the lifestyle. There are vast health benefits in following diets that are predominantly or entirely plant-based and I continue to develop my knowledge and understanding of vegan diets and the quality ingredients that can be produced to ensure a superior dining experience without the use of animal-based products. It also keeps the ever-evolving world of food and food production interesting and exciting, as we are forced to think of new ways of making classic and traditional dishes vegan friendly.”

The 2022 competition is open to all chefs, student chefs and home cooks residing in South Africa, aged 28 and younger. Those entering must submit a 30-second video (or a link to where the video can be found) explaining why they should be the winner of a coveted demo spot at TPPS, as well as a recipe using vegan-only products with a list of ingredients and the cooking method.

Entries close at midday on 19 April, with the top 10 finalists announced on 22 April. These finalists will then have until 29 April to submit a demo video with the ultimate winner announced on 2 May and invited to be part of TPPS to perform a live cooking demo on Saturday, 28 May, in The Plant Kitchen Chef’s Theatre.

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The competition judges are:

• Adrian Vigus-Brown (competition director SA Chefs),
• Miles Khubeka (entrepreneur, chef and TV host),
• Coo Pillay (executive chef of Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport),
• Dion Vengatass (member of the SA Culinary Olympics team),
• Linah ‘Pinky’ Maruping (regional customer chef for Unilever Food Solutions)
• Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams (director of JMA Hospitality and Consulting)

Heidi Warricker, event producer of TPPS, said “The response to the upcoming show has been incredible. This is truly a food revolution with more and more chefs embracing and developing plant-based dishes on their menus. We encourage young chefs, those studying the culinary arts and enthusiastic amateurs to enter. The winner will have the fantastic opportunity to take part in this event and hopefully use it as a launchpad to an exciting career.”

Entries, along with a full name, ID, email and cell number details should be sent to competitions@sachefs.co.za for the attention of Adrian Vigus-Brown.

Tickets, which cost R120 online and R250 at the door, are on sale here.