VETTING
How We Vet Our Chefs
Every chef who carries the myCHEF name — employed core or partner bench — passes the same five checks. Here they are, disclosed in full.
Vetting is a gate, not a formality: no chef cooks a myCHEF event until all five steps are complete and documented. The standard applies equally to the employed core team and the partner bench.
The five-step standard
Vetting is a gate, not a formality: no chef cooks a myCHEF event until all five steps are complete and documented. The standard applies equally to the employed core team and the partner bench.
Step by step
The checklist, in order.
- 01Identity and background check — verified ID, right to work in South Africa, background screening
- 02References — checked directly with past employers and private clients
- 03Practical assessment — a cook-off against a set brief, scored on taste, timing and hygiene
- 04Food-safety training — aligned with South Africa's food-premises regulations (R638 context)
- 05Ongoing event reviews — every event is reviewed; standards slip, the bench shrinks
The honest caveat
Our Cape Town bench is rolling out — which means the number of chefs who have completed all five steps grows week by week. Ask us exactly where each check stands for the chef proposed for your event; the coordinator will answer plainly, in writing.
And if a chef cannot make the date, the backup-chef policy applies: every confirmed event carries a named backup who has passed the same standard.
Questions, answered.
We update this guide annually — figures re-verified October 2026.
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