In a city synonymous with style, design and endless culture, the world’s culinary elite gathered last night at Studio 90 in Milan for the annual Best Chef Awards. It was an evening of spectacle, vision, and recognition — and for SA, one of milestone achievement.
For the SA contingency the highlight came as Peter Tempelhoff, chef and founder of FYN in Cape Town, who was awarded Three Knives — the highest distinction in the Best Chef Awards’ system and a first for SA. The accolade places Tempelhoff among the global elite, recognising chefs whose mastery, creativity, and influence are considered at the very pinnacle of the culinary world.
“This recognition is both incredibly exciting and humbling,” said Tempelhoff. “It speaks to the extraordinary team at FYN, and to the richness of the Cape region that inspires everything we do.”
SA’s presence didn’t end there. Two chefs made their debut in the Two Knives category — chef Johannes Richter of The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate, Durban (and current Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year) and chef Peter Duncan of La Petite Colombe, Franschhoek. Both chefs now firmly placed as World Class, recognised internationally for consistency, precision, and vision.
The One Knife list saw a wave of SA talent step into The Best Chef spotlight too: Liam Tomlin (Chefs Warehouse), John Norris Rogers (PIER), Matt van den Berg (MERTIA), Vixa Kalenga (TANG), Ryan Cole (Salsify at The Roundhouse), Vusi Ndlovu (EDGE), and Roxy Mudie (Waterside). They join returning honourees including Callan Austin (Dusk), Moses Moloi (Gigi), and Wandile Mabaso (Les Créatifs).
Together, the awards underscored the depth and dynamism of SA dining, from an unprecedented Three Knives to a generation of new voices now recognised on the global stage.
When it came to the podium chef Rasmus Munk of Alchemist, Copenhagen was crowned the world’s best chef for the second year running, with chef Ana Roš (Hiša Franko, Slovenia) taking second and chef Himanshu Saini (Trèsind Studio, Dubai) placing third.
Accepting the top honour, Munk spoke to the role chefs can play beyond the kitchen: “My hope is to inspire young chefs to move in a more holistic direction, showing them that gastronomy can be more than a craft and that communication through food can be a meaningful artistic language. Food has the power to spark conversations, raise questions, and inspire change.”
The evening also celebrated excellence across a range of special awards, from Best Pastry (Pia Salazar) to Best Visionary (Massimo Bottura) and Best of Humanity (José Andrés for his work with World Central Kitchen). Other winners included Andrea Aprea (Best in Milan), Jason Liu (Best Creativity), Quique Dacosta (Best Food Art), Debora Fadul (Best Terroir), Prateek Sadhu (Best New Entry), Anika Madden (Best Dining Experience), Diego Guerrero (Best Science), Sebastian Jiménez (Best Next Generation), and Diego Rossi (Best Origins & Future).
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With Tempelhoff’s Three Knives, Richter and Duncan’s ascent to Two, and a surge of One Knife newcomers, SA’s culinary talent was impossible to miss in Milan. It was a night that continued to show SA’s ever increasing place in the global conversation — SA chefs not only keeping pace with the world’s best, but helping to define its future too.
