Basil is the candidate wine steward for The Westin, Cape Town in the 2018 Distell Inter Hotel Challenge.
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe and after completing my A levels, I came to South Africa, pursuing tertiary education in the field of Information Technology. As many students do, I took a part time job as a waiter, starting at Vredekloof Country Lodge. I was quickly converted to a passionate hotelier and realized that this was my true calling.
Being focused mainly on breakfast and conference lunches in my 3 years ar Vredekloof and 5 years at Westin, I have had limited exposure to wine sales. However, I realised my interests early on while assisting the winemaker at Lanrust, a wine estate in Stellenbosch owned by Vredekloof.
Unfortunately, this was not something I could focus on at the time. I therefore turned my attention to coffee making and have become a highly trained and qualified Barista. Having perfected this art, I seized the opportunity to join the International Chef's Competition as Wine Steward, in order to return to the passion of wine service.
Although I may not have as much knowledge or experience as the other candidates, I have something that I think is much more important. I am willing and eager to learn from a patient mentor and I have the passion and drive that will make me a winner!