South Africa’s next generation of culinary talent is heading to Luxembourg.
Team Masakhane, South Africa’s national junior culinary team, will compete at the 2026 Culinary World Cup from 21 to 25 November.
All nine team members are under 25. Each earned a place through a rigorous national selection process led by the SA Chefs Association. They have also been awarded their official green and gold colours.
Now, with just 10 weeks to go, the pressure is rising. Training is intensifying. The team is preparing to face one of the largest, toughest and most prestigious professional cooking competitions in the global hospitality industry.
And they will not be cooking only for themselves.
They will be carrying South African culinary talent onto the world stage.
Nine young chefs. One national team.
Team Masakhane brings together nine young chefs from across South Africa.
Four of them are young black women who have earned their place among the country’s top emerging culinary talent.
They are:
- Unami Binda — Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff (Capsicum Culinary Studio)
- Makgobokele Nchabeleng — Private Chef (Chefs Training & Innovation Academy)
- Loyiso Mlondo — 54 on Bath (Capsicum Culinary Studio)
- Elizabeth Ncube — Saxon Hotel (HTA School of Culinary Art)
The five young men joining them are:
- Callum Condie — Swiss Hotel School (SHS South Africa)
- Ethan Joseph — Saxon Hotel (FBI Chef School)
- Lesedi Morudi — Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff (Capsicum Culinary Studio)
- Phenyo Pooe — 54 on Bath (The Professional Cooking Academy)
- Pholoso Sebola — Marriott Melrose Arch (HTA School of Culinary Art)
Together, they form a team selected to represent the crème de la crème of South Africa’s young chefs.
The road to Luxembourg
Talent may open the door, but international competition demands far more.
Team Masakhane’s preparation is being guided by an experienced support squad led by Head Coach Chef Donaldson Madubela.
He is supported by Technical Head Coach Chef Marcus Gericke and Pastry Coach Chef Catherine Adonis.
The management team includes Team Manager and Director of Competitions Chef Pieter Malan and Head of Team Talent Mahlomola Thamae.
Their job is to help turn nine individual young chefs into one cohesive professional kitchen team.
That distinction matters.
At the Culinary World Cup, the challenge is not simply to create impressive food. The team must plan, prepare, execute and serve to international competition standards while working together under pressure.
A World Cup with serious competition
The scale of the challenge is enormous.
Held every four years, the 2026 Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg will bring together more than 2,000 chefs representing 55 countries.
For Team Masakhane, the competition will unfold across two main programmes.
The first is the Hot Kitchen.
Here, the team will prepare a three-course meal for 70 people.
The second is the Chef’s Table.
This programme requires a themed presentation of three dishes. The entries will be assessed across several areas, including hygiene and food waste, professional preparation, techniques and workflow, innovation and taste.
Every detail counts.
Every movement in the kitchen matters.
And every plate becomes part of South Africa’s international culinary story.
More than a competition
For Coo Pillay, President of SA Chefs, the opportunity goes beyond medals and scores.
“Team Masakhane is going to Luxembourg to demonstrate that they can plan, create, execute and serve food to international competition standards as a cohesive professional kitchen team,” says Pillay.
He describes the opportunity as a chance for the young chefs to showcase their collective talent while positioning South Africa’s diverse cuisine and culinary talent firmly on the world stage.
That international platform could make the journey particularly significant for a team at the beginning of its professional careers.
The Culinary World Cup offers an opportunity to gain experience in an environment where preparation, teamwork, technique and consistency are tested at an international level.
The cost behind the dream
There is another challenge waiting beyond the kitchen.
Getting a national team to an international competition requires substantial financial support.
Training is only one part of the equation. Ingredients, equipment, travel, accommodation, visas, competition costs and other expenses all contribute to the overall cost of taking Team Masakhane to Luxembourg.
The SA Chefs Association is therefore calling on South African businesses and the wider community to support the team.
“Our young chefs have earned their place on the team,” says Pillay. “Now they need the greater support of South African business and the wider community to ensure that financial constraints do not stand between them and the opportunity to proudly represent their country.”
For SA Chefs, supporting Team Masakhane is about more than getting nine chefs onto a plane.
It is an investment in South Africa’s culinary talent, professional development and international experience.
Masakhane means building together
The team’s name carries a message that fits its journey.
Masakhane means “let us build together”.
It reflects the collaboration and growth that define the team and the wider South African culinary community.
Nine young chefs from different professional and educational backgrounds will now have to work as one.
They will train together. Cook together. Compete together.
And, ultimately, represent South Africa together.
South Africa, the kitchen is calling
From 21 to 25 November, Team Masakhane will step into the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg with the weight of expectation and the promise of possibility.
The chefs have already earned their places.
Now comes the next test.
The heat of the kitchen. The pressure of the clock. The precision of every technique. The discipline behind every plate.
And the opportunity to show the world what South Africa’s young culinary talent can do.
SA Chefs is inviting businesses, hospitality groups, food producers, suppliers and individuals to get behind Team Masakhane’s journey. Contributions of all sizes can assist with training and international competition costs, while corporate partners can explore sponsorship opportunities with the team.
Organisations interested in supporting Team Masakhane can contact SA Chefs at info@sachefs.co.za or 011 482 7250.
Because this World Cup is not only about what happens on the plate.
It is about nine young South Africans being given the opportunity to build, compete and represent their country on one of the world’s biggest culinary stages.
Team Masakhane is ready to cook for the world.
