Being a purpose-led, 100% South African-owned company which keeps their company ethos at the heart of everything they do, Empact Group values and applauds their staff as a matter of course. The chefs in the group’s foodservice division are the heart and soul of the kitchens they operate around the country. This year the Top 6 chefs from their foodservice operations around South Africa – two each from KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng – competed in a cook-off to see who would emerge as the winner of The Final Cut 2023, an annual Empact Group competition for their foodservice chefs.
The cook-off took place at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Thursday, 20 April 2023. Chefs were required to create a dish using a mystery box of ingredients as well as replicate a demonstration dessert. The mystery box of ingredients which had to be used in the main course included:
Whole chicken
Exotic mushrooms
Whole potato
Fresh sage
There was also a full pantry of ingredients which the chefs could access to build their signature main course.
In addition to creating a signature main course, the chefs were required to replicate guest chef and judge Chef Andre Bezuidenhout’s demonstration dish was his signature dessert, lemon meringue spring roll.
After an intense cook-off, Chad Esau from the Western Cape was declared the winner with his chicken roulade stuffed with garlic and herb chicken mousse served with a burnt onion purée on a bed of mashed potato accompanied by balsamic pickled shimeji mushrooms, carrot points and finished with a wholegrain mustard chicken jus. Waynand van Rensburg, also from the Western Cape, took second place with his seared chicken roulade on a carrot purée served with fondant potato and sage cream. Gauteng-based Themba Siyewuyenu’s grilled sage chicken breast served on mashed potato with a sides of garlic roasted carrots and sautéed wild mushrooms was awarded third place.
The winning dishes, all exuded quality, freshness, nutrition, creativity and most importantly, flavour – everything Empact Group is known for at their foodservice sites.
The prizes included:
1st Prize – R25 000 holiday voucher
2nd Prize – Block set of German knives
3rd Prize – Le Creuset casserole dish
The finalists were selected by virtue of their entries to compete in the heats leading up to The Final Cut chefs showcase. Chefs were required to create a starter and main course for the judges making use of a mystery pantry. Each heat was judged by external accomplished chefs within the food industry.
All competitors showcased amazing skills and endurance, hallmarks of Empact Group’s team of chefs, coupled with their creativity which resulted in a number of unique and delicious dishes presented to the panel of South African Chefs Association-accredited judges namely:
Elsu Gericke – Head: Professional Body & Skills Development for the South African Chefs Association
Shaun Potgieter – Chef and representative Rational Africa and Head of Culinary at Food Service
Andre Bezuidenhout – Chef de Cuisine at Emperors Palace
According to Hanno de Lange, General Manager of Empact Group’s Centre of Excellence: “The brief to the chefs was to incorporate their take on global trends in the foodservice industry. Their culinary creations needed to stand at the forefront of menu innovation, demonstrating what’s hot in modern food. In addition to exuding quality and freshness, being nutritious, convenient to prepare, appealing to the eye and delectable to the palate; the innovative dishes had to inspire a plethora of tantalizing tastes and sensory stimuli – all qualities for which Empact Group is so well-known in the foodservice sector.”
This culinary talent showcase allowing their chefs to learn and grown bears testimony to Empact Group’s ethos: Doing right by you! A corporate philosophy which is extended to not only their clients but their staff too.
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Get in touch to find out more about how Empact Group can do right by you.
For more information about Empact Group’s service offering contact:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 011 209 2400
Website: www.empactgroup.co.za
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DISTRIBUTED ON BEHALF OF EMPACT GROUP by ANGELFISH PR & EVENTS. All media queries can be directed to Annie Hodes on 083 325 4445 or [email protected]
ABOUT EMPACT GROUP:
At Empact we are on a journey – a journey to do our best and be the best for our people, our clients, our partners, our community and our planet.
This is the passion that drives us to be the preferred, purpose led partner for catering, cleaning and integrated facilities management solutions in Southern Africa; known for our skilled and caring people, our consistent excellence in service delivery and the value we create for our clients.
As a client centric values-based solutions business we aim to consistently create value for our stakeholders all while prioritising our people, protecting and nurturing our planet and positively impacting our communities.
Each of our bespoke, multi-service solutions are uniquely designed to solve our clients’ problems – allowing you to concentrate on your core business; knowing that all your non-core activities are being managed in the safest, most effective and most cost-efficient manner possible.
This is how we care, create value, deliver impact and do right by you.
Food Solutions
Food by Empact Group delivers an extensive range of catering and support solutions for the corporate, industrial, healthcare, education, remote, offshore, mining, retirement and lifestyle sectors. From fine dining to corporate canteens, from grab-and-go to harvest tables and delicious canapés, from a nutritious smoothie to delicious coffee, food is our passion. We understand that food is an essential part of your employees’ wellbeing – so we bring you award-winning chefs, varied menus, world-class service and the freshest, most nutritional ingredients.
Cleaning Solutions
Supercare by Empact Group offers contract and specialised cleaning for a wide range of commercial, industrial, healthcare, education, transport and retail environments.
Our professionally trained and caring staff and management team are dedicated to legal compliance, service excellence with health and safety being our number one priority.
Our safety standards are extremely stringent, putting our people and the environment first. To uplift and empower our people, and allow them to better service your company, we run training centres nationally that develop skills at all levels.
Hygiene and Pest Management Solutions
Supercare by Empact Group delivers outstanding hygiene and pest management solutions to the highest standards of excellence to all industries and environments.
In a post COVID-19 world, hygiene in the workplace has never been more important.
Our products are environmentally friendly, our safety standards are of the highest quality, our staff are professionally trained and our commitment to service excellence is unmatched – all so that we can offer you and your people total peace of mind.
Integrated Facilities Management Solutions
Facilities by Empact Group provides support services and integrated facilities management solutions for diverse industries, including mining, commercial/corporate, offshore and remote sites.
Our management model offers total integrated facilities management services, which are predominantly self-performed by our staff. From corporate offices to large industrial power plants and campuses, our expertise in Facilities Management is consistently growing and evolving.
Our approach and expertise provide cost certainty and all the reassurance you need to get on with your core responsibilities, confidently knowing that we will do right by your facility.
Level 1 BBBEE Certified
Empact Group (formerly Compass Group Southern Africa) is 100% owned by Thebe Investment Corporation (Pty) Ltd (TIC); a pioneering black owned company that uses its business success to transform lives and make a difference in our communities.
We are rated as a Level 1 BBBEE Contributor with a 135% BBBEE supplier recognition, 89.53% black economic interest and 36.34% black women economic interest.
Our level 1 rating forms part of our strategic Transformation Pledge, as we see transformation as a principal and dynamic business process contributing to our competitive edge – a key part of us doing right for society.
