CHEF TALK
The Fire, the Family & the Future of Food
BY MILOU STAUB
AWARD-WINNING CHEF KAYLA- ANN OSBORNE’ S INNOVATIVE CUISINE, MENTORSHIP AND NEW CULINARY ACADEMY HAVE TRANSFORMED SA’ S CULINARY LANDSCAPE, ESTABLISHING HER AS A BOLD PIONEER INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CHEFS.
WHAT FIRST IGNITED YOUR PASSION FOR COOKING?
I grew up on a banana farm on the South Coast, and food was always part of family life. My grandmother taught me to cook and passed down her spaghetti Bolognese recipe, which I still make today. That early connection to flavour and comfort is what set me on this path. I knew very young that the kitchen was where I belonged.
WHAT DRIVES YOUR AMBITION?
I’ ve never liked being boxed in. When I opened The Chef’ s Table in Umhlanga, I wanted to show that a KZN kitchen could compete nationally. Being named Eat Out’ s Rising Star in 2017 was huge, not because of the award itself, but because it proved that creativity from outside the big cities can shine. Every role since then has been about growth: working in London with Clare Smyth, leading at Delaire Graff, judging MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules, and then coming home to Pennington to build something sustainable.
IN WHAT WAYS DO YOUR THREE PENNINGTON RESTAURANTS DIFFER?
Each space tells a different story. Kayla-Ann’ s is my fine-dining flagship; a place to express my love for technique and local ingredients. The Italian Club came from my obsession with pasta and the social spirit of Italian dining. Then there’ s The Pennington Pantry, which I opened with my mom in 2025; it’ s an eatery and bakery inspired by my love for bread and community. Together, they show the full spectrum of what food can mean: art, comfort, and connection.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO ESTABLISH YOUR CULINARY SCHOOL?
There’ s a massive gap in South Africa between raw passion and formal opportunity. Too many young people can’ t afford traditional chef schools, or they leave without the business skills to survive. My goal is to change that. The school offers accessible, accredited training, from professional chef qualifications to WSET wine courses,
DECEMBER 2025 / INBOUND SA 97