Chef Andre Hill returns to The Peninsula

"I enjoy making great tasting dishes out of fresh ingredients and I have returned to The Peninsula with new, creative ideas, which I believe will elevate the standard and bring new flair into food preparation and accessible dishes," said Hill, who started off at The Peninsula in 2005 as sous chef before working his way up to head chef.

Within two-and-a-half years, Hill decided that although he had grown enormously he needed to gain more experience.

The UK and New Zealand

After moving to England, he first worked at the Phyllis Court Club under head chef Greg Lewis. He then went off to New Zealand to join a top restaurant in Napier called The Old Church Restaurant and Bar.

Having grown up in the Bo-Kaap, Hill has cooked in some of the world's most recognised kitchens, including a one-month stretch at world-renowned Gordon Ramsey's New York restaurant.

Plan to help underprivileged children

It's expertise he hopes to pass on in the future to underprivileged children who can't afford to attend a hotel or cooking school.

"I plan on eventually opening a restaurant with a school, which will benefit pupils and teachers alike, and the only payment will be the responsibility of the students to remain for at least one year after graduating to assist in training the next group of students," he enthused.

In the meantime, chef Andre Hill can be found in the kitchen at the Sunset Restaurant at the Peninsula Hotel on Cape Town's Atlantic seaboard.