Ahead of the 2020 Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, we sat down with Chef Trevor Boyd – Executive Chef at The Michelangelo Hotel and Manager of the South Africa Culinary Team – to discuss his Olympic journey.

Few Chefs can both compete and run a successful kitchen, but renowned Chef Trevor Boyd is anything but the norm. Chef Trevor’s involvement with the Culinary Olympics goes back to his first entry 19 years ago, where he started his journey as a development Chef for the South African team. He has since competed in the 2004, 2008, 2016 Culinary Olympics, and fulfilled his long-time dream when being appointed Manager of Team South Africa for 2020.

Boyd’s highlight thus far was in 2008 when the team won Gold. “Through relentless preparation, we were confident with the meal presented. We’d already won bronze and silver medals in the past, but we had our sights set on gold! When we received the call to say they we’d won Gold, the team were overwhelmed with emotion, it was the most incredible feeling and accomplishment” Boyd says.

2016 was a more stressful Olympics for Chef Trevor, and while he adds that there were both highlights and lowlights, he tries not to think about the lowlights. Instead his focus is on this year’s Culinary Olympics, for which he is the team’s manager. “Being called on to now head up the team is much the same as being called on to manage the Springboks,” Boyd says.

Transitioning from chopping onions to instructing others on how to chop onions was a daunting task for him, because “who was I to teach another Chef how to be better? To be the best, we all had to accept change. It took us a couple of months to adapt, but once we did, the team found their groove in the most positive way possible” says Boyd. He grew into his role as mentor, realising that it was a journey. For him the absolute highlight was to see his growth as a leader and Chef over the past few years.

The results of this year’s Olympics will be determined by the flavours, what meal the team cooks and how well they cook it on the day, but Chef Trevor is confident that the team is solid and ready for the challenge. The team has a unified vision of which all the members have embraced, and Chef Trevor believes that with that unity, they have what it takes to win. He is ready for them to create something beautiful. “Chefs are artists in a way”, Boyd says.

Legacy Hotels & Resorts wish Chef Trevor and the South Africa Culinary Team all the best on their road to victory at the 2020 Culinary Olympics.