HTA School of Culinary Art hosts annual Legacy competition
Budding chefs showcase their skills across three categories in a week-long celebration of culinary excellence.
HTA School of Culinary Art held its annual Legacy competition this week, culminating in an awards ceremony on October 3.
Legacy consists of three cooking competitions for students and professional chefs, which together lead to the Chef of the Year title.
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School principal Carien van Tonder said this year’s event grew into a full programme of tastings, judging and celebration. The first section, Legacy Professional, was open to working chefs from outside the school. Entries were sent out widely, and anyone with one to four years of experience could take part.
“These guys are working chefs, so they’re not students from our school,” said Van Tonder.
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Five finalists cooked on September 30, with five to six judges tasting their food. On October 1, six first-year students competed in Legacy the Beginning, which is aimed at those starting their culinary journey.
The flagship Legacy competition followed on October 2, where seven finalists cooked for a panel of six professional judges.
Sponsors played a significant part in the event. “We had sponsors that obviously donated time, finances, products, hampers and gifts,” Van Tonder said.
The awards ceremony was held on Saturday evening. “We had about 132 guests in attendance that we could count, excluding the finalists,” said Van Tonder.
She said the night was a fitting finish to a busy week. “Awards, gifts, it was just, I don’t know what more you need,” she said.
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