Latest news with #YoungChefOlympiad
The National
14-02-2025
- Business
- The National
Money & Me: ‘I wish I'd started investing more when I was younger'
Tadiwa Tendayi quit a full-time job and became an entrepreneur at 23 to pursue her passion of becoming a personal chef who creates intimate culinary experiences. Ms Tendayi, now 27, has come a long way. She is now an international chef with experience in five-star hotels and top restaurants, and runs her own businesses – Satiate Luxe. Her love for food started in her childhood, the Zimbabwe-born entrepreneur says, when she immersed herself in cookery books and TV shows. Ms Tendayi left high school at 16 and started a diploma in cooking and culinary arts at the Southern African Hospitality Training Company. She was chosen to represent Zimbabwe at the Young Chef Olympiad in Kolkata. Later, Ms Tendayi joined the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe before moving to Abu Dhabi in 2019 as part of the pre-opening team for Tasha's Al Bateen and then to Dubai with Avli by Tashas. Her experience also includes being a full-time chef for a professional sportsperson living in the UAE. Ms Tendayi spotted the niche of serving top-quality luxury culinary experiences to clients who wanted restaurant-standard fine dining without leaving their homes. She decided to take the plunge and launched Satiate Luxe in 2021 to provide personalised at-home dining experiences. The concept brings fine dining to people's homes in different ways, including private chefs and gourmet meal plans. Ms Tendayi lives in Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. My family comes from a good financial background. I went to private schools and while my parents did the best for me, they were always careful with money. Unfortunately, when my dad died when I was about 12 years old, there was a little bit of a drift in how money circulated in the household. Things got a bit tougher, but it didn't get to a struggle. It taught me that money comes and goes, and that's how I describe my relationship with it. My first job was as a trainee sous chef at The Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe. I earned $120 a month. When I started my business, it was tough to manage setting up licensing costs and getting things in order. When I started the venture, I barely had enough money to survive. At some point, my family told me to get a full-time job. A chef's career is very challenging. When you work for a restaurant, it takes you a long time to get to the stage where you can create and build recipes. For me, it didn't define what I wanted. My passion is to cook food and see people enjoy it. When I started my business, I realised that being a private chef creates more intimate gatherings and more enjoyable experiences for my customers and me. Starting a business is a journey. I'm now at the stage of realisation that when you start a business, it takes time to grow. It's just been building blocks for the business over the past four years. Moving forward, I am optimistic about making profit. Since my business revolves around me, I try to diversify and tap into other industries. I have recently started investing in technology start-ups in the UAE. My first investment was an apartment in South Africa, which I recently sold to invest in the tech start-up. I hope that as my business grows, I can buy more real estate. A bit of both. I enjoy buying nice things, but I'm very conscious about how I spend my money. I have different accounts where I put money away for holidays and a rainy day. If I want something, I slowly start putting money aside for it. No, not all the time. Especially within my business, I find myself overspending on things that I don't need. Sometimes, the employee mindset kicks in and you start to forget that your start-up is not on the same level as the company you worked for. The apartment in South Africa was a big one for me, because it's something that I really wanted at the time. To understand that money is not everything, but it can buy you freedom. Also, to start investing more when I was younger. I had a full-time job, so there was a steady income and I could have made smaller investments. I wish I realised that investments don't have to be expensive. When you're younger, there are opportunities to invest in things for $200 a month. This could pay for a retirement plan. No, I am not where I want to be yet. My goal last year was to make my first million in dirhams through my business, but I just missed it. My goal is to consistently earn a large income through my business since I am a salaried employee. As an entrepreneur, you pay yourself last. Also, I would like to invest more. Fragrances and travelling are important to me. I like to see things and eat luxurious food in fine dining restaurants. I am a major foodie and will pay anything for food. Money buys you freedom and lets you buy what you want, most of the time. It cannot buy you health but can contribute to good health. It cannot buy you family but buys you time to spend with family. However, money is not everything.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
England Wins IIHM's Young Chef Olympiad; India-UAE Lift Dr. Suborno Bose Challenge Trophy
World's largest collaborative competition for young chefs concludes with a grand closing ceremony in Kolkata KOLKATA, India, Feb. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kamran Taylor, a young chef from England, was crowned champion at the world's largest competition for young chefs, the IIHM International Young Chef Olympiad, which featured participants from 50 countries. In a glittering Grand Finale of the 11th edition of YCO, contested by the top ten teams after the first two rounds, Armenia's Arsen Armenakyan secured the Silver, while Yves Gabriel Cabrera Po from the Philippines won the Bronze Trophy. The 11th edition of the Young Chef Olympiad was organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in partnership with the International Hospitality Council (IHC), London. The host country, India, made the nation proud as Chef Aliakbar Mustafa Rampurawala from IIHM Bangalore won the prestigious Dr. Suborno Bose Culinary International Challenge Prize, along with UAE's Jasmin Ali Maher Lutfi Jarrar. This unique category featured 28 teams, which were not placed in either the Grand Finale or the Plate rounds. They were divided into 14 pairs, representing two countries each, in a spirit of culinary collaboration. The Plate Trophy, contested by teams ranked between 11 and 20 after the first round, was proudly lifted by South Korea's Shi-Hyun An. The YCO Champion, Plate Trophy winner, and Dr. Suborno Bose International Culinary Challenge recipients were chosen after two rounds of intense competition showcasing the best culinary talents from around the world. Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman of the Young Chef Olympiad, said, "The world of culinary arts is united under the grand Kolkata sky. Culinary diplomacy means this. In a united world of young chefs, it's the best way to make the world happy and sustainable through food. Only in India can you achieve something like this. This year, YCO felt like a family, and we had a new venue for the opening ceremony in Goa, on the banks of the Arabian Sea." Prof David Foskett OBE, Chairman of the Jury for YCO said, "YCO is a grand celebration of friendship, Unity and Passion. It depicts the unifying power of food in a world of conflict. YCO can happen only in India, under the visionary leadership of Dr Bose, who does again and again and again. Padmashri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor remarked, "YCO is surely about compassion. But when you do it for 11 years, you multiply the compassion. YCO is also about competition with collaboration. Dr Bose is not only a lovable madman with a golden jacket, but he is a man of steel." Dr. Bose also highlighted IIHM's efforts in integrating AI into hospitality and hospitality education. He announced IIHM's Global Knowledge Sharing Declaration on AI in Hospitality with 50 countries, promoting inclusivity, human touch, and sustainability. On a magical night in Kolkata, everyone emerged as winners, as the united world of young chefs celebrated their roles as ambassadors of culinary diplomacy, dancing into the night amidst a swirl of colours and cultures. Contact Details: Mr. Abdullah AhmedChief Operating Office IIHM Hotel school Photo: View original content to download multimedia:
