Twenty-year-old Unami Binda from Soweto has been crowned Young Chef of the Year for 2025, sponsored by McCain South Africa, and walked away with the first prize of R80 000.
What’s more remarkable is that this is the third honour this year for the ambitious Capsicum Culinary Studio student who recently took top spot in the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality Student Chef Skills Competition, held in partnership with the South African Chefs Association, and was placed first runner up at the South African Pastry Championships.
Second place in the Young Chefs Challenge 2025 went to another Capsicum student, Cape Town’s Maxine Maart who received R40 000.
Binda – who lives in Protea Glen and is a student at the Rosebank, Johannesburg, campus – is currently in her second year of a three-year Advanced Professional Chef course.
For the competition, she had to create a starter and main course in three hours, and it was her sweet potato fishcake, served with an avocado dill mousse and pickled cucumber noodles, along with a main course of poached and seared chicken sausage served on a duo of cauliflower and butternut purees with a crispy chicken skin garnish and a mustard velouté, that won her first prize.
Says Binda: “I was delighted to be part of a competition that allowed me to show both my craft and my passion. To win was just a wonderful cherry on top and it is still sinking in!”
She paid tribute to her mentors and said she couldn’t have done it without them: “My lecturers, Chef Andile Magwaza and Chef Maseehah Karodia, were there to support and motivate me every step of the way. They taught me how to manage my time while supporting my crazy ideas and keeping me grounded. It really does take a village to raise a child and I couldn’t be more grateful for all they have done for me.”
She said the biggest lessons that she’s learnt while doing these competitions is to never give up and to always stay true to her craft: “The first competition that I did, I only got second place but I was determined to win a competition since it has been one of my goals for this year. I continued practicing to make myself better so I could eventually win. You have to keep going and keep showing up in order to become the best.”
Binda is currently completing her Work Integrated Learning (WIL) at the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff and would like to continue working there after graduation.
In five years’ time she sees herself travelling the world: “A big reason for wanting to become a chef was to see the different parts of the world and get to experience different people, cultures and cuisines. It is a big dream of mine to travel to Greece and get to taste the food there.”
Binda says she has always wanted to work in the culinary field: “I have been involved since high school where I used to assist in my mother’s catering business and then also ran a dessert business of my own so I always knew I wanted to study further.”
