Fedics, South Africa’s leading provider of catering and culinary services, will be represented on the judging panel in the final stage of the Unilever Food Solutions Chef of the Year 2011 Competition coming up in September. Fedics Regional Executive Chef, David Keir, has been selected as one of the judges for the finals on 16 September 2011, to be held at the Unilever Head Office in Durban.
The Unilever Chef of the Year Competition is South Africa’s premier culinary competition which showcases the best newcomer chefs in the hospitality industry. Judging the competition are some of the most experienced chefs in the country.
Keir has a 15-year track record at Fedics, where he has presided over some of South Africa’s most prestigious culinary events, such as the inauguration of former President Thabo Mbeki, cooking for former President Nelson Mandela, and representing South Africa in the World Spice Festival in Sri Lanka in 2005. During his time with Fedics, Keir also had the opportunity to work at the renowned Marco Pierre White restaurant in London.
Keir knew by the age of six that he wanted to be a chef. After training at the ML Sultan Technikon in Durban and doing a Cordon Bleu Course in Cape Town, Keir’s first job was as Commis Chef at Buitenverwachting in Cape Town. He then went on to work with the Karos Safari Group and the Legacy Group, as well as the Rosebank Hotel in Johannesburg, before joining Fedics in 1996.
The regional heats of the Chef of the Year competition were completed in August. At the final leg of the competition, the top five junior and senior candidates as well as the top five teams of four will be required to prepare a three course menu using Unilever products in a mystery basket.
