Liam Tomlin of Singita speaks about creating a culinary school linked to a restaurant that trains young chefs in South Africa and how chefs must use their privilege to inspire and grow others in their community.
Tomlin comes back to where it all started for him, in Connemara in Ireland to tell the story of the young people he works with in South Africa.
The Singita culinary school is giving some talented young people the chance to learn skills that can take them around the world and give them the chance to provide for their families.
Many of the students at Singita become chefs in the restaurant and he tells the story of one student and her adventure to train in New York with the team at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It was a talk that inspired the whole room, “we can change lives by teaching these kids to cook.”
Take a young, talented but marginalised young African, put a pot in their hands and teach them kitchen skills and you create someone who is empowered and who can empower their whole community, their families and local suppliers.