Original Story Published by: Jenni Baxter, www.sapeople.com
Photo Source: Matthew du Plessis
(Above) Chef Mthobeli Ndaleni is back in his hometown and winning awards after cooking up a storm in the States
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BECAUSE OF COVID THAT MTHOBELI NDALENI RETURNED TO SOUTH AFRICA, BUT THANKS IN PART TO THE EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE HE RECEIVED ABROAD – COOKING FOR AMERICA’S BASKETBALL AND GOLFING ROYALTY – NDALENI’S CAREER HAS TAKEN OFF BACK HOME.
The South African chef worked alongside US celebrity, Chef Francisco, earning his ‘stars and stripes’ at venues as prestigious as The Club in Admirals Cove in the Sunshine State and the Chicago Lake Golf Club.
Nobody would’ve guessed that the little-known chef – nicknamed ‘Sunshine’ – from a township (Kwazakhele) in Gauteng, SA would end up among Florida’s rich and famous, but he always had a desire to stand out amongst the cooking crowd. It was just hidden behind his humble nature and winning smile.
Ndaleni believes attitude and hunger are essential ingredients in the cooking game – much like cinnamon and sugar on a Proudly South African pancake.
These attributes clearly shone through in an online CV he compiled while job-hunting in Florida, as that’s what helped get him an interview for the Admirals Cove job.
“I was so nervous, but excited. After that interview, a whole new world opened to me,” he says.
After almost 10 years in the States, the executive sous chef returned to his culinary roots – the Radisson Blu, Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), in 2020 following the global Covid-19 outbreak.
It was here where he cut his teeth in the hospitality industry as a kitchen porter half a lifetime ago.
Like many South African expats returning from abroad, Ndaleni’s international experience held him in good stead. That coupled with his exemplary record during his first stint at the hotel, prompted general manager Elmarie Fritz to pick up the phone and convince him to make a comeback.
Thirteen years after he first set foot in the hotel to bus tables, his journey to cooking excellence had come full circle.
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