East London’s Fazel Bezuidenhout is on his way to join a team of other chefs at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Bezuidenhout, the owner of Fazel’s Gourmet Foods, has been working towards this dream moment for many years, despite also battling drug addiction for more than 16 years.
“I am so blessed. This is such a great achievement for me. It is a perfect opportunity for me to grow my career.
“I am excited to design and execute a menu filled with typical South African food,” said Bezuidenhout.
Bezuidenhout and his wife, Lemaec, have been running their business together since 2020. Bezuidenhout had been working on a cruise ship but unfortunately lost his job when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
“It was a tough time for all of us. I realised that I have cooking experience from my years at culinary school, and I’ve worked in many kitchens across the world. I love cooking so I decided to go for it. It has been going great so far. Some months are better than others but we have been doing well for ourselves,” said Bezuidenhout.
The catering business is run from the couple’s home.
Bezuidenhout said they catered to clients’ requests and he also offered his own menu ideas.
Bezuidenhout has experience working in kitchens in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the famous Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg and Princess Cruises.
When he was younger, he sadly lost many big job opportunities because of his drug addiction, which began when he was in high school.
“My life was a mess for a very long time, but then I went to rehab and started going to NA meetings. Cooking was my saving grace.
“I want to now also do the same for others.
“One of my heart’s desires is to help and train recovery addicts and create employment for them as chefs,” said Bezuidenhout.
The following students from The Blue Ribbon Catering & Hospitality School will also be heading to Qatar as chefs for the FIFA World Cup: Minentle Blair, Odwa Memza, Tayla-Jade Marais, Rierie Konyana, Aphiwe Lamani and Nasiphi Mafeje.
