Chef Zanté Neethling  – executive sous chef at Eat Out two-star restaurant, Beyond—has won the global S.Pellegrino Social Responsibility Award, an incredible achievement! This isn’t Zanté’s first time competing in the prestigious competition. She won the regional title for the same award in 2022, a true testament to her perseverance and determination.

“I am eternally appreciative of this sacred award,” Zanté tells Eat Out. “Seeing the joy it brings to my team and people who love me ignites a fire in my soul.”

The Social Responsibility Award is judged by The Sustainable Restaurant Association, and acknowledges a chef’s commitment to responsible practices, ethical sourcing, and a positive impact on their community. Zanté’s dish impressed the judges with her use of indigenous knowledge and the sourcing of her ingredients for the dish – which honours the women of the Khoi-Khoin tribes of Southern Africa.

Zanté says, “This recognition is for my country South Africa and the Khoi-Khoin tribe. Especially the woman Taras  – guardian of culture and community. She nurtured and healed her family with every dish she crafted from her wisdom of the land and its creatures, fulfilling her role of managing the household as well as providing sustenance and health for her family, maintaining a harmonious balance between taking and giving. Their legacy serves as a profound connection between humanity, nature, and nourishment.”

Zanté joined the Beyond team to further her knowledge of South African healing plants and says that being mentored by chefs Sebastian Stehr and Peter Tempelhoff is an honour.”My signature dish was cured Cape Bream, Cape sourfig gel, amadumbe and rooiwortel Kapokbos dauphinoise, dune sage and smoked lion’s mane brandade with an aquatic dust made from sea lettuce and dune parsley. A seaweed salad with Scarborough miso dressing, periwinkles, sea urchin and tempura dune parsley. Three-seaweed and foraged mushroom dashi with mint pelargonium and sceletium. The significance lies in the ingredients, each herb and root specially chosen for its unique benefit.”

The young chef wants to encourage others to join like-minded organisations that are socially progressive regarding environmental restorative practices and standards in the hospitality sector.

“There are quite a few very exciting activities that can broaden your knowledge of these plants. Giselle Courtney of South African Fynbos offers workshops on edible fynbos. Veld and Sea have wild food foraging events. Johan October is one of the best hiking guides who has broad knowledge of indigenous plants. Experimenting with these plants is the best way to understand what works and what doesn’t.”

The Sustainable Restaurant Association Managing Director, Juliane Caillouette Noble, says, “Zanté’s signature dish is not only a carefully sourced tribute to South Africa’s ancestral roots, but also a roadmap for how chefs can lead in building a more ethical and equitable food system.”

The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition is a significant platform for young chefs to gain international recognition and advance their careers. Past winners include the likes of chefs Vusi Ndlovu, Callan Austin, Paul Prinsloo, and Angelo Scirocco. The 2024-2025 regional final was held earlier this year, where Chef Luckson Mare from Eat Out three-star restaurant, The LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate, won the title for Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. He will compete in the finale in Italy at the end of October.

It’s encouraging to see these talented chefs emerging in the local dining scene while showcasing their skills and being celebrated on the world stage.

S.Pellegrino and Aqua Panna are Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards brand partners and proud sponsors of the Chefs’ Chef Award. If you’re a budding chef interested in taking part in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy competition, find out more here.