CHEF SHOWCASE
CALLED TO
CULINARY
Chef Adrian is living proof that cheffing is a calling rather than a simple career choice.
C
heffing is a calling rather than a career for Adrian Vigus-Brown – and as living proof, he has the enthusiasm and the passion for his craft, he’s put in the hours, the hard work, and the practice, and he has achieved an enviable array of achievements and accolades, all within a relatively short period. Chef Adrian, aged 30, is Executive Chef at the glamorous African Pride Melrose Arch, Autograph Collection® Hotel in Johannesburg, which has the March Restaurant, the Library
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Bar, pool deck, 118 rooms with 24-hour service, as well as five meeting rooms and an auditorium. He achieved the position of executive chef at age 25, which added more challenges to Adrian’s career than anticipated. “I have been passionate and driven since I first fell in love with the world of food as a child, preferring to be in the kitchen when other kids were playing, and watching food channels on TV rather than the normal programmes my friends were watching. On a family holiday at age nine, I was found in the
hotel kitchen, firing a string of questions at the executive chef. I knew it was the place I wanted to be. In high school I worked in restaurants and did private catering. “When I was appointed executive chef, I found I constantly needed to prove myself and my worth in the kitchen as fellow executive chefs often underestimated or overlooked me. But that helped me hone my skills further – and I soon learned to live out the quote by Tony Robbins that, ‘people are rewarded in public for what they have practiced in private for years’.”
