Executive Chef Martin Kobald, a culinary extraordinaire in South Africa since 1988, currently Continental Director, Africa Middle East – Worldchefs, Past Vice President of the Worldchefs – World Association of Chefs Societies ;
Honorary Past President of the South African Chefs Association SA Chefs; and a globally accredited “International Judge” Category judge for both SAChefs and an International Judge for Worldchefs.
Chef Martin also currently serves as the Worldchefs Executive representative on the following working committees: Worldchefs – Global Development of Young Chefs Committee.
From September 2005 until June 2009, Chef Martin was national group executive Chef for Fedics Food Service he was elected Vice President of the South African Chefs Association (SACA), and in October 2003 he took over the reigns as President of the 30-year-old Association, a position he held for six years.
Chef Martin has served as a judge in various competitions, including the Global Pizza Challenge; Checkers Championship Boerewors and Chopped SA, and has judged various international culinary competitions worldwide – Kobald judged competitions in Singapore, Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Cambodia and Australasia, Germany, Shanghai. Chef Martin Kobald was one of the Chef judges on Clover’s Little Big Cook Off, Season 1 (2014) and 2 (2015) which was run on SABC3 and subsequently on African based TV programming.
Not only does he know his way around a whisk, but Chef Martin is dedicated to sharing his passion for the art and science of cooking through his cooking school, ChefMLK School of Cooking.
Chef Martin is committed to making a difference to the lives of others. He is the convener of the Bidvest World Chefs Tour Against Hunger organization and raised, alongside over 260 other chefs from around the world, an incredible R8 million to feed over 5, 000 children for five years.
As part of his portfolio of VP of Worldchefs, Chef Kobald is focusing developing young chefs in around the world with projects like ‘Sustainability Education’ advancing the culinary arts.
Worldchefs Certified International Judge
Culinary Competition Committee Member (Hong Kong)
Worldchefs Honorary Life Member
Rudolf Muller joined Angliss Food Service Hong Kong in 2018 as their Managing Director until his retirement in July 2023. Before that he worked in Hong Kong since July 2003 as the opening Executive Chef, and then as Culinary Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
He has over 44 years of experience as a chef, managing some of Asia’s busiest kitchens. Rudy served for 10 years as Executive Chef for SATS Catering/Singapore Airlines and Team Manager for the Hong Kong National team in 2008, Singapore Culinary National Team, from 1998 until 2000. Taking home Olympia and first runner up prizes from IKA 2000 in Erfurt Germany, first runner up honors from the 1999 Salon Culinaire in Basel, Switzerland and the 1998 World Cup from Luxembourg.
Prior to joining Singapore Airlines, Rudy worked with Hilton International for 9 years in Kuala Lumpur, at the Shanghai Hilton, the Drake Hotel in Chicago and the Habour Castle Hotel in Toronto. He worked in 5 star Hotels in Banff and Calgary, and in his native Switzerland in places like Geneva, Berne, Arosa and Zurich.
He is an Honorary life member WACS (World Association of Chefs) and also on the Culinary Competition Committee panel (CCC). An active member of the Chaine des Rôtisseurs (Charge de Missions Honoraire de Singapour), and Vice president of the Cordon Noir Gourmet Club. Member to the Disciples des Escoffier in Hong Kong, and former President and Honorary life member of the Hong Kong Chefs Association.
Sanet completed a BSc Home Economics degree at UFS at the end of 1991. In 1992 she travelled to London on a two-year Working Holiday Visa. She got a job as a breakfast cook at 190 Queensgate in Kensington after a week of job searching. She left as a chef after two years of on-the-job training under the wakeful eye of chef Christopher Millar. Her life has revolved around food since then.
Sanet is a member of NamChefs since 2008 and was the President for 2014-2018.
She is a qualified WorldChefs judge and enjoy judging local and international competitions. She organises a number of cooking competitions and – shows in Namibia. The most well-known is the Checkers Boerewors competition and then the National NAU Braai Competition.
Sanet has a cookie and macaroon bakery at home in Windhoek– just to make sure she keeps busy!
Sanet has three sons living in three different towns– Jak, Herman and Rudi
Driven by a deep passion for the vibrant tapestry of African flavors, Chef Pieter Malan explores and elevates Modernist African Cuisine. His dedication has garnered recognition, including being named Africa’s Most Admired Executive Chef in 2023.
During his tenure as Group Executive Chef at Fiesta Hotels and Residences in Ghana, “The Grillroom” achieved the remarkable feat of being crowned the World’s Best African Restaurant in 2023 by Luxury Lifestyle Awards and further solidified its standing by placing amongst the Top 100 Restaurants globally in 2024.
Committed to nurturing culinary talent, Pieter actively contributes as the Interim Committee Chair for the Competitions and Culinary Committee of the South African Chefs Association. He also serves as a Shadow member of the World Chefs International Competitions and Culinary Committee, reflecting his global perspective and dedication to culinary excellence.
Beyond the kitchen, Pieter shares his culinary insights as a familiar face and voice on African TV and radio. Currently, he channels his creativity and expertise as Chef Patron of Chef and Co & Piet se Baard, his establishments nestled in the heart of the Western Cape, South Africa. It is here that he continues to celebrate and innovate, inviting diners to experience the magic of African gastronomy.
Chef Trevor Boyd, previously of The Michelangelo Hotel, has been appointed as general manager: food and beverage for the City Lodge Hotel Group.
Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, chief operating officer at City Lodge Hotel Group, says, “The City Lodge Hotel group has had an enormous amount of success in its culinary journey to date which has contributed towards excellent guest feedback and superb revenue growth. During the past two years, including the challenging Covid-19 period, we have immersed ourselves in listening and reacting to the evolving wants and needs of our guests.”
“In order to embrace the changing traveller and hone our competitive edge, we have taken the strategic move towards creatively and cleverly enhancing our food and beverage offerings across all brands of the group. Trevor is an enthusiastic, experienced, and talented chef with immense energy and a contagious smile and we look forward to embarking on our new food and beverage journey with him at the helm.”
Trevor’s culinary career has seen him at the helm of Carnival City, Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa, Sheraton Hotel Pretoria, and Mount Grace Hotel’s kitchens, as well as a stint as senior sous chef at the Mount Nelson Hotel. He joined the Michelangelo Hotel in 2015, overseeing all aspects of the kitchen including the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Piccolo Mondo, which sadly closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The chef has also been a member of Culinary Team South Africa, which competed in the IKA Culinary Olympics in 2004 and 2008, where the team achieved a gold medal in the Restaurant of Nations. In 2016, Trevor once again joined Culinary Team South Africa at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt winning a bronze medal. This led to Trevor’s appointment as team manager, training the young chefs for the IKA Culinary Olympics 2020 in Stuttgart, Germany, at which they achieved three bronze medals. In 2019, Trevor was inducted into the Academy of Chefs, an elite fellowship within the SA Chefs Association that acknowledges achievements and aims at development and succession within the industry.
My love and respect for the earth was nurtured as a young boy. Born and brought up on a farm on the North Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, I followed my dad around his farm to gain a knowledge and understanding of the agricultural produce. Through this, I developed a love for food and working with fresh produce and ingredients. My passion for cooking lead me to swop a career in commerce for my Chef’s whites. I am a graduate of the International Hotel School, having completed my training with the Three Cities Group at the DISH Restaurant at the Royal Palm Hotel, under the guidance of former Group Executive Chef Shaun Munro.
I have had a strong Asian and African influence in my life which I have tried to combine on a plate, thus creating fusion cuisine. My specialization is within the Food and Beverage sector. Using my background in commerce, I pride myself with the firm understanding and grasp of hotel financials, food costing and menu engineering. I am also fortunate to have a background in marketing and HR / IR.
During my career I have entered numerous Culinary competitions including the Chaine de Rotisseurs Jeunes Commis competition, UFS Young Chefs Challenge, Suncoast Spice and the UFS Chef of the Year. I have also been part of the Good Food and Wine Shows in Durban and Johannesburg for three years. I have cooked alongside BBC Chef Reza Mahammad, Top Billing’s Joanne Strauss and Eastern Mosaic’s Jailoshni Naidoo – as well as being featured on the latter two television programmes. I am also a regular on SABC radio sharing recipes, cooking tips and ideas with listeners. I am currently a SACA accredited competition judge and serve on the Gauteng Committee of SACA.
Since graduating, I have worked at 1 on 1 Gateway Conference Centre, Quarters Hotel Florida Road, Life Hotels OR Tambo, Life Hotels The Aviator, Zebula Golf Estate and Spa, Holiday Inn Sandton Rivonia Road, Royal Marang 5* Hotel and am currently at Protea Hotel by Marriott OR Tambo Airport.