The sky is the limit for this Daveyton chef

Daveyton resident and chef Xolisa Kalipa (22) was selected for a prestigious employment opportunity with Qatar Airways.

She is among nearly 50 newly appointed recruits joining the airline’s catering company, and retail and hospitality subsidiaries in Doha, Qatar.

Qatar Aircraft Catering Company (QACC) and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) at Hamad International Airport (HIA) will welcome the new employees.

Xoli, as she is affectionately known, withstood the heat of the recruitment process, seeing off competition from hundreds of other candidates who graduated from the Capsicum Culinary Studio’s six campuses across South Africa, where she studied to become a chef.

She describes herself as a strong, courageous young woman, and for that, she credits the unflagging support structure in her family.

“I grew up in a household of 10 people with both grandparents and my mother. I am a twin, with two younger siblings.

“My strict grandparents always instilled in us the importance of education and hard work, and I am incredibly grateful for the values they taught me.”

It is this strong support system and work ethic which she says led her to bake for her family while still in primary school.

Xoli enjoyed watching cooking shows, and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay remains her role model and inspiration.

She is the first member of her immediate and extended family to become a chef.

After training and qualifying at Capsicum Culinary Studio, Xoli worked as a commis chef in Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“I told myself I would like to work there again, so I leapt at the chance to work at Qatar Airways when they advertised the opportunity. I have a goal of one day taking popular traditional South African cuisine to the world.”

Asked about a menu plan for a multi-course dinner her face lights up: “For starters, I would opt for sosaties, which is a South African beef kebab braised with sweet and sour sauce.

“For the mains, it would be bobotie, similar to a baked meatloaf, except it is much spicier, served with yellow savoury rice.

“For desserts, I would serve malva pudding, a soft and springy cake with flavours of apricot jam and caramel, then topped with a sweet creamy sauce and served with a thin custard.”

According to Xoli, her memorable incident and life lesson as a chef was when she poured oil into a deep fryer but forgot to close the outlet pipes and covered the kitchen floor with oil.

“I learnt to persevere through mishaps and setbacks. This industry is not for the faint-hearted.

“I think many young chefs take their capacity for perseverance for granted and some also assume this industry is all fun and games.

“It is important to know how to satisfy the customers’ needs and allow an emotional space for their criticism, which helps us improve our skills and grow into our careers.”

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