Azure Restaurant at The Twelve Apostles Hotel

Head Chef: Christo Pretorius

The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa has announced the appointment of Christo Pretorius (27) as the new Executive Chef at the award-winning Red Carnation Hotel in Cape Town. Pretorius was promoted to the position after honing his skills as Executive Sous Chef at The Twelve Apostles where he has been working alongside Henrico Grobbelaar, the previous Executive Chef, since November 2012. By the time Grobbelaar left The Twelve Apostles Hotel in July 2013 to pursue other interests, Pretorius was ready to step into the shoes of his mentor.

With his promotion to Executive Chef, he is now in charge of Azure Restaurant, as well as the hotel’s banqueting and events, and aims to introduce the next phase in The Twelve Apostles’ culinary journey. ‘My aim is to take Azure to the next level, to present innovative new menus, and to keep up an enjoyable working environment for the team.’ Recognised as one of Cape Town’s top dining experiences, Azure Restaurant made its debut onto the prestigious American Express Platinum Fine Dining Awards in 2013, and won its sixth Diamond Award in the Diners Club Winelist Awards in the same year. In 2011 it was voted one of the Eat Out Top 20 Restaurants of the Year.

Pretorius will be ably assisted by new Executive Sous Chef Chris Mare, who joins The Twelve Apostles Hotel from his previous position as Executive Head Chef at Blaauwklippen Wine Estate. For Mare, this will in fact be a return home – he commenced his culinary career right here at The Twelve Apostles as Junior Chef de Partie in 2003, working his way up to Sous Chef. This was followed by positions as Head Chef at sister properties Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat in the Cederberg (2008 – 2010), and Executive Sous Chef at The Oyster Box in Durban (2010 – 2012), before moving on to his most recent position at Blaauwklippen.

Growing up in Vryheid (Kwa-Zulu Natal) Christo Pretorius trained at the 1000 Hills Chefs School in Durban where he completed his Chef and Pastry Diplomas in 2007, passing both with distinction. His work experience includes positions held at Kurland Hotel and Tsala Treetop Lodge, as well as De Huguenot Estate and the Cape Royale Hotel where he was Sous chef at Bistro1800° before joining The Twelve Apostles team last year.

The talented young Pretorius has competed in several high profile cooking competitions. He placed second in the prestigious Sunday Times ‘Young Chef of the Year’ competition in 2012; and was a regional finalist in the Unilever Food Solutions ‘Senior Chef of the Year’ competition in both 2011 and 2012. In 2010 he won ‘Junior Chef of the Year’ at the Unilever Food Solutions, and was also placed second at the Goldcrest Young Chef of the Year Competition.

Pretorius’ new summer menu will feature fresh, seasonal produce, with a focus on top quality local ingredients.