Eighteen young up-and-coming African chefs have been cherry-picked for a rare employment opportunity offered by Qatar Airways. The newly appointed recruits will be joining the award-winning carrier’s catering as well as retail and dining subsidiaries in Doha, Qatar.
The talented young chefs withstood the heat of the recruitment process, seeing off competition from hundreds of other candidates who graduated from the Capsicum Culinary Studio’s six campuses across South Africa.
The new recruits are the first of 50 that will be placed with Qatar Aircraft Catering Company (QACC) and Qatar Duty-Free (QDF) – both operating from the state-of-the-art facilities at Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha.
Ayanda Khumalo and Lesedi Mokoena withstood the heat of the recruitment process, seeing off competition from hundreds of other candidates who graduated from the Capsicum Culinary Studio’s six campuses across South Africa.
Ayanda (23), from Amandasig, enthused: “This is a great opportunity to be exposed to diverse cultures and cuisines… For instance, in the [airport] area where I’ve been placed, there are dozens of outlets that serve a variety of national and regional dishes.
“My grandmother was my biggest role model from a young age. Seeing her make roasts, casseroles, and cake nurtured my interest in cooking for a living. I want to make her proud.”
Lesedi (21), from Pretorius Park, who credits her grandfather – a chef – for sparking her interest in food, said: “It is exciting to be part of a world-class brand with excellence as a benchmark and being mentored under the leadership of Chef David Sosson.”
Lesedi added that apart from learning all she can, she has a mission to introduce more people to African cuisine and especially the fusion of culinary components and flavours that comprise the South African braai: barbecued meat with garlic bread, pap (stiff mealie-meal porridge), chakalaka (spicy vegetable relish), and Greek salad.
Qatar Airways’ Chief People Officer, Antonio Schulthess, said: “Diversity and excellence are the hallmarks of the Qatar Airways brand. Recruiting candidates from around the world, as is the case with our partnership with Capsicum Culinary Studio, is part of our ongoing commitment to finding the best talent globally and empowering our personnel to build fulfilling careers with Qatar Airways.”
Thulisile Mgidi, Capsicum Culinary Studio’s Customer Experience and Career Centre Manager, said: “It is hard to imagine a better opportunity for these young chefs to seize, and you can see how excited they are to make the most of it. There’s an art and science to making sure food meets the highest standards, so these candidates are learning invaluable skills from the best.”
Victor Cheng, Vice President at Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, said: “Our state-of-the-art facility is designed to inspire innovation in culinary excellence. Equipped with the latest technology and resources, it will empower the new talented chefs’ creativity and skills. This is a good career growth opportunity where young employees get exposure to large-scale operations and expand their culinary knowledge.”
QACC, with an industry-leading facility spanning 69,000 m², is the largest single-building airline catering provider in the world. It has expanded all possible capabilities and set a new industry benchmark in the onboard dining experience. With more than 20 years of culinary innovation and operational excellence, QACC delivers 200,000 meals across 300 flights daily.
QDF is home to shopping and dining at DOH, offering choices ranging from traditional food courts to lounges, restaurants, and cafes. It also features world-first concepts such as the Louis Vuitton Lounge, created in partnership with Michelin-star chef Yannick Alléno.
While the majority of recruits are South African, some of the candidates have listed Nigeria, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya as their country of origin.
