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South Africa Chefs Conquor Kilimanjaro

World Cooks Tour for Hunger Johannesburg, South Africa 1993

World Cooks Tour for Hunger Johannesburg, South Africa 1993

The World Cooks Tour for Hunger represented a unique event where great chefs from all over the World gave of their time and skill to come to South Africa with the purpose of raising money for two very deserving charities - Operation Hunger and The Valley Trust of Natal. These world chefs along with teams of chefs from South Africa brought the finest set of culinary skills yet assembled; chefs with countless years of experience, a multitude of Gold Medals and Awards and pots of care and compassion for the plight of the hungry and the needy.

Well 20 years later what do you do to commemorate this singular event. When plans were on the table giving options of how to celebrate this significant anniversary of the WCTAH, the chefs decided to do something different; something that didn’t involve the kitchen. Mt. Kilimanjaro became the focus.

Mount Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania and its summit is 5,895 meters above sea level. Our stalwart bunch of heroes decided that it would be a splendid idea to pack a few sandwiches and trip on up to the top of the mountain. Later, in a sober moment, they came to the realization that this was a serious endeavor. They needed to plan and they needed to train. They were fortunate and garnered three sponsoring companies who became partners in the project: Sodexo Southern Africa, Unilever Food Solutions and WorldNet Logistics. These companies contributed funds towards the team’s hefty equipment and travel expenses.

This venture would not be a walk in the park. Brunner carried the whip. His regime involved one and a half grueling hours of gym early each morning. They hiked endlessly. They carried backpacks with 12 kg of ballast. Beer was a no-no.

The route that they choose was known as the Machame or Whisky Rout. This rout entailed using tents as it is not equipped with huts. The scenery was varied and incredible. Every day was different. The team walked through rain forests, across plateaus and up lava towers. Our gallant band of six chefs was undaunted.

The Team started their assent on the morning of Sunday August 11th 2013 and ‘summited’ on Friday morning August 16th at 6.00 am. Their base camp was in Moshe. They arrived back in time for lunch on Saturday August 17th.

Our colleagues should be proud of their achievement. At this stage their efforts have raised more than R200, 000. These monies will go a long way to feeding needy children in disadvantaged communities. The WCTAH feeds 7,000 children every day in South Africa.

Please contact Chef Heinz Brunner if you can make a supporting contribution.  

SA Chefs on Kilimanjaro

L-R: Martin Kobald; Jeff Schueremans; Heinz Brunner; Glynn Sinclair; Fritz Flatscher; Manfred Reinhart

Our Gallant South African Mountaineers. Never too old for a challenge.

Our Gallant South African Mountaineers. Never too old for a challenge.

L-R: Martin Kobald; Glynn Sinclair; Manfred Reinhart; Jeff Schueremans; Fritz Flatscher; Heinz Brunner