You don’t have to believe us, but the award for the world’s Best Female Chef at The Best Chef Lady Awards (held in Warsaw) has just been received by chef Chantel Dartnall of Restaurant Mosaic in Pretoria (South Africa).
Launched in Poland in 2016, this international competition seeks out the world’s top chefs in terms of culinary artistry and visual presentation. The winning chefs are selected in six categories by 300 voters comprising chefs, food writers and culinary experts across the globe as well as 1,5 million followers on the competition’s digital platform.
Dartnall – who has twice been named South Africa’s Chef of the Year – beat out strong competition from globally acclaimed chefs including Elana Arzak (Best Chef – Lady 2016 winner) of the three Michelin starred restaurant Arzak; Emma Bengtsson who is at the helm of the two Michelin-starred Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit in New York; Pic who gained three Michelin stars for her restaurant, Maison Pic in France and Clare Smyth, the first and only female chef to run a restaurant with three Michelin-stars in the UK with her establishment Core.
She hopes her win will help put South Africa on the culinary map. “I certainly think people who would not generally have taken South Africa too seriously at an awards function of this calibre will sit up and notice, and become aware of the talent we have in South Africa.
Come taste for yourself!
The Orient Boutique Hotel and Mosaic Restaurant
Additional words and images courtesy of DeKat and DestinyConnect.com