Young chefs invited to showcase their plant-based culinary skills

The South African Chefs Association (SA Chefs) and The Festive Vegan & Plant Powered Show ((FVPPS)are looking for the country's most talented young chefs and home cooks to take part in an upcoming culinary competition.
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The Festive Vegan & Plant Powered Show takes place on Saturday, November 28 from 11am to 5pm and will be an online interactive event that visitors won’t have experienced before, and is a precursor to next year’s Vegan & Plant Powered Shows (VPPS) which will take place in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Heidi Warricker of FVPPS, says: "Vegan has gone mainstream with more and more chefs embracing and developing plant-based dishes on their menus. We are excited to see what our young South African chefs will come up with. It is a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase themselves in front of some of this country’s leading culinary luminaries and share a stage with top local and international chefs."

Jocelyn Myers-Adams, adds: "This is the perfect occasion to showcase your plant powered skills! Knowledge is power; taking part in this competition offers you the chance to challenge yourself creatively, learn and develop your talent. Go for it!"

The winner of the FVPPS/SA Chefs competition will share a visual stage with some of the best international and local chefs including the UK’s Gaz Oakley, who is one of the world’s most celebrated vegan chefs and who has more than a million subscribers on his YouTube channel, as well as a finalist from last year's MasterChef Australia.

Entry requirements

The contest is open to all chefs and cooks residing in South Africa, aged 28 and younger, who are invited to submit their best vegan dish. (You don’t have to be a professional chef to enter the competition; enthusiastic home cooks are encouraged to participate too.)

Entrants 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 the FVPPS, as well as a recipe using vegan-only products with a list of ingredients and the cooking method. Entries, along with full name; ID, email and cell number details should be sent to az.oc.sfehcas@snoititepmoc for the attention of Adrian Vigus-Brown.

Entries close at 12pm on 20 October. The Top 10 will be announced on October 23 and will have until October 29 to submit a demonstration video. The ultimate winner will be announced on November 2 and will be invited to be part of a FVPPS film shoot in Cape Town on November 9.

Judges include:

• Chef Luke Dale-Roberts (The Test Kitchen),
• Adrian Vigus-Brown (competition director SA Chefs Association),
• Coo Pillay (executive chef of Protea Hotel by Marriott O.R. Tambo Airport),
• Dion Vengatass (member of this year’s SA Culinary Olympics team),
• Linah ‘Pinky’ Maruping (regional customer chef for Unilever Food Solutions), and
• Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams (director of JMA Hospitality and Consulting).

Early bird tickets for the FVPPS are available from Quicket at R80 until October 7 and thereafter will cost R120.

The VPPS will take place at the Cape Town Convention Centre from Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May 30, 2021. A Johannesburg event is also scheduled with dates to be announced shortly.

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