54 on Bath in Rosebank announces the appointment of Phil de Villiers as the hotel’s new Executive Chef. De Villers, the Executive Sous Chef at Level Four Restaurant since its opening in 2012 takes over the reins from acclaimed Chef Gerard Vingerling in August. Vingerling takes over as the new Executive Chef of the Palazzo Hotel at the Montecasino Entertainment Complex.
As an understudy to Chef Gerard for many years, their intertwined journey at Tsogo Sun started when Phil joined Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel as Executive Sous Chef. Both Chefs then moved to 54 on Bath, Tsogo Sun’s iconic boutique hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg .
An acclaimed Chef in his own right de Villers, a graduate of Prue Leith College of Food and Wine, has competed in and received many accolades in various competitions, such as the Sunday Times and Unilever Chef of the Year competitions. Phil’s love for food started when he watched Keith Floyd on television as a child. However, he did not immediately follow his dream first studied accounting before following his heart into the kitchen.
Jacques Moolman, general manager of 54 on Bath says “ Phil has worked with Gerard for almost 5 years, being exposed daily to his organisational and culinary expertise and under his tutelage, and is now ready for the next step in his career with Tsogo Sun. De Villiers is a highly creative and detail oriented chef with a strong passion for the culinary arts and we are extremely excited to see how Level Four evolves under his leadership.