Sun International’s Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town reopened its kitchen for to prepare 2 000 litres of soup for communities in need, in honour of Mandela Day (Saturday, July 18).
Despite the hotel still being in lockdown, the kitchens reopened as part of the South African Chefs’ Association’s (SACA) challenge to participate in a cook-a-thon. The initiative aimed to make 67 000 litres of soup in professional kitchens across the country.
Over 300 chefs nationwide stepped up to the stove plate, including those at the International Hotel School and at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg.
GM of the Table Bay Hotel, Joanne Selby, and her management team, took to their kitchen stations, appropriately masked and practising physical distancing, to prepare a white bean and vegetable soup, under the guidance of Executive Chef, Keshan Rambarun.
“The ingredients have all been selected for their nutritional value. Beans especially, are a good source of vegetarian protein and the vegetables obviously offer great healthy nutrients,” said Rambarun, explaining the choice of soup.
“Every single one of us is affected by this pandemic and for my team of chefs and our management team, Mandela Day is a strong reminder about how important it is to take action, to inspire change, and make every day a Mandela Day,” said Rambarun.
The Table Bay Hotel exceeded its goal of 2 000 litres of soup and the nationwide SACA initiative collected a total of 77 455 litres.
