Trevor Boyd, the new executive chef at Tsogo Sun’s InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport hotel, has certainly proved that a culinary career can be exciting and holds many opportunities, challenges and rewards – if you are committed enough.
Trevor knew he wanted to be a chef from a young age, in fact he cannot remember a time when he did not want to be a chef. He had a ‘calling’, and his decisions were all geared to prepare him for a life in the hospitality industry. After completing his National Service in the Defense Force, Trevor successfully graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a National Diploma in Catering Management in 1993 and various establishments in South Africa such as the Mount Nelson hotel, Carnival City and the Cape Grace hotel benefitted from his passion.
While holding down a very stressful ‘day-job’, Trevor joined the South African National Culinary team where he was part of the squad for 10 years. The squad competed in the International Exhibition of Culinary Art, the Culinary Olympics, and the biggest culinary exhibition in the world. Trevor and his team won gold for the Restaurant of Nations, and two silver and one bronze medals. The team received a combined seven silver medals and three bronze in competitions held in Singapore, Chicago and Germany. Trevor also represented South Africa on two occasions promoting South African cuisine in both Thailand and Portugal, where he gained invaluable work and life skills experience.
While representing South Africa to global audiences, Trevor was appointed as executive chef at the Sheraton Hotel Pretoria in 2006 after which he joined the HTA School of Culinary Art where he focused on enhancing training standards to culinary students in service apprenticeship, corporate chef training and community bridging programmes.
In 2010, Trevor and his wife, a chef in her own right, launched Salon de Culinaire, and in 2012 Schweet Emporium, a retail baking supply and cake store. In 2014, armed with a wealth of experience, Trevor took the position as Executive Chef at the award-winning InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport hotel.
This luxurious hotel, only a brief walk away from the International Arrivals Hall at the O R Tambo International Airport is perfectly designed to meet the needs of the modern business and leisure traveller. Special features for frequent travellers include flight friendly menus, in-room flight information and a Health and Fitness centre to ease the stress of long distance travel.
The role of executive chef at Tsogo Sun occupies a unique position in the kitchen staff hierarchy. This position is a common feature in only the most well-known eateries and combines the pressure of living up to the high standards of a world-class establishment with a dizzying array of daily responsibilities. The hours typically include grueling 12 to 14 hour shifts that begin with the early morning process of devising menus and ordering ingredients, ending only after the last dinner guests have left the restaurant.
The hotel’s signature restaurant, Quills, is suitably named after the unique 18-metre long porcupine quill mobile, which spans the entire length of the restaurant. The InterContinental Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport also offers in-room dining with an optional ‘flight friendly’ menu, allowing long-haul passengers to dine before boarding, then settle down for an uninterrupted night’s journey. Quills Bar is an ideal meeting place for local and international business associates and in-transit travellers.
Trevor regards unwavering passion as the secret ingredient if his success. The determination to achieve high standards is unmistakable in his kitchen – and throughout the hotel. Trevor’s dishes feature seasonal ingredients and he is ever mindful of freshness and sustainability. He creatively weaves modern, classic, local and international elements into his culinary masterpieces.
