Empact Group crowns its top culinary talent at 2026 Culinary Exchange
Food by Empact’s annual Chefs’ and Barista Competition puts skills development, mentorship and supplier partnerships firmly on the menu.
Nine of Food by Empact’s best chefs and six accomplished baristas went head-to-head at Empact Group’s 2026 Culinary Exchange, an annual celebration of the people, skills and partnerships behind its national foodservice operation.
Held at the Red Roman Shed at Emperors Palace, the event brought together chefs, baristas, suppliers, clients and Empact teams for the culmination of months of regional competitions and preparation. The supplier showcase ran alongside the national finals, giving Empact’s partners an opportunity to present their products and services directly to the teams who use them across the business.
The event has grown substantially since its introduction six years ago. Empact Group CEO Alan Quinn told guests that this year had set new records for chef entries, supplier participation and client attendance, reflecting the scale the competition has reached within the organisation.
“This competition gives people across our kitchens the opportunity to step forward and show what they can do,” says Quinn. “Not everyone who enters starts out as a chef. We have cooks and team members who are given the chance to create, compete and demonstrate their ability. What they produce when that opportunity is placed in front of them says a great deal about the talent within our business.”
A national stage for culinary talent
Regional heats narrowed the Chef’s Competition down to nine national finalists drawn from across the country. Each executive chef competed with an assistant chef, a format deliberately designed to build the next layer of culinary talent within Food by Empact.
“The assistant chef component is an important part of the competition,” says Kuben Moodley, Managing Director of Food by Empact. “It gives emerging talent the opportunity to work alongside an experienced executive chef under competition conditions. Our aim is to see those assistant chefs move into executive chef roles in the years ahead. That is how the competition becomes part of a genuine development pipeline.”
The finalists were given three hours to prepare three courses. Their starter and main course had to be created from a mystery basket, while the dessert tested precision and technical skill through the replication of an Apple Charlotte with chocolate crémeux, Maldon salt, olive oil and a sugar dome. Competitors were also required to use fire to prepare at least one element of their dishes while reducing food waste during preparation.
Executive Chef Bevan Cornelius, assisted by Leticia Dywili from Netcare Kuils River in Cape Town, claimed first place and a R15,000 cash prize together with a Rational knife set. Their menu featured prawn arancini with lemon aioli followed by seared duck breast with smoked mashed potato, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, duck-fat potato skins and blueberry jus.
Second place went to Executive Chef Rynhard van de Westhuizen, assisted by Thabo Masekela from Vodacom Gauteng, who received R10,000. Their dishes included a seabass roulade filled with dill and prawn, followed by coal-fired duck breast with honey-butter sweet potato and blueberry and beetroot purée.
Executive Chef Gedaffi Cezula and assistant chef Portia Khenkebe from the Mercedes-Benz plant in East London placed third, earning R5,000. Their menu included pan-seared seabass with prawn and seafood risotto, followed by flame-grilled duck with berry and beetroot purée, fondant butternut, asparagus and spinach mash.
Baristas bring their best brew
Coffee had its own competitive spotlight, with six finalists selected from hundreds of entries submitted from Food by Empact operations around the country. Each finalist had to prepare two cappuccinos with latte art, demonstrate the correct extraction, talk judges through the tasting notes and create a signature drink.
Tebisa Juca, Unit Barista at Akeso Parktown, was named the 2026 Barista Competition winner.
Moodley says the quality of the finalists reflected the amount of work taking place long before competition day. “Our chefs and baristas do not arrive at the final by chance. They have come through months of preparation and selection to earn their place. The Culinary Exchange gives them recognition, but it also gives them a reason to test themselves, learn from colleagues and see where their skills can take them.”
Suppliers take their place alongside the team
The Supplier Showcase was a central part of the day, with suppliers creating interactive stands where guests could sample products, experience new offerings and speak directly to the businesses behind many of the ingredients, products and services used across Empact’s operations.
For Empact, those relationships extend well beyond procurement. “Our suppliers contribute directly to the service we are able to deliver to clients,” says Moodley. “They bring ideas, products, technical expertise and solutions into our business, and this event gives them the platform they deserve. They are partners in what we do, and we want them sharing the room and the recognition with our own teams.”
More than 100 clients attended during the day, alongside approximately 400 Empact managers, underscoring the role the Culinary Exchange now plays as both an internal skills platform and a meeting point for clients, teams and suppliers.
Quinn says the annual competition has become a fixture on Empact Group’s calendar because it brings the company’s people and partnerships into sharp focus. “A day like this takes months of work, but what makes it worthwhile is seeing people step outside their usual roles and put themselves forward. Our chefs and baristas bring their skill and ambition. Our suppliers bring the products and thinking that support our teams every day. Our clients get to see that expertise first-hand. That combination makes the Culinary Exchange something we are enormously proud of.”
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