Bon Appétit with Sous Chef Mahle

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The first sign that Mahle Mihlali Vellem is not an average chef is his choice of filleto.

As a child, the Mthatha-born would sit on the kitchen counter for hours watching his mother prepare meals.

Little did he knew that her passion would become his and that he would one day be doing the same for thousands of guests at Sun International hotels.

“After school I enrolled at the HTA School of Culinary Arts, where I had an opportunity to polish my skills, graduating two years later with a Diploma In Professional Cookery,” said the 29-year-old executive Sous Chef, who recently joined Carnival City and Entertainment World.

He is currently responsible for running back of house for the kitchens in the hotel, casino’s Salon Privé, banqueting and staff canteen, with three sous chefs reporting to him.

This month Vellem launched a new menu within Carnival City’s luxurious Salon Privé, which offers Sun’s MVG guests an exclusive sanctuary to play high-end slots games and tables in a chic setting.

“I believe in flavour, so that is always important when I create dishes. There are certain items on the menu that are close to my heart as they remind me of my family, such as the filleto (a pasta dish), salmon poke bowl, Korean chicken poke bowl and smoked salmon and smashed avocado.”

Fresh out of cooking school, he was hired at Sun International’s Time Square in Pretoria in 2017 as a Chef de Partie.

“Being part of opening team of Time Square was a huge opportunity for someone just starting in their career,” Vellem said.

At the hub of Pretoria gaming and entertainment, Mahle worked his way up to sous chef and ran two restaurants under the guidance of chefs Adrian Vaughan, Nonkosi Vellem and Jaco Truter.

“They taught me a lot about how an operation works and how to deal with staff and set me on my leadership path.”

His most recent posting was setting up the restaurant at Sun City’s new luxury Leloko Villas, where he had the opportunity to expand his creative juices.

He said: “I had to create the menu from scratch – playing around with flavour profiles and touching places in me that I didn’t know existed.

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“When I look at the menu, I can proudly say I’ve done well, and I’m pretty sure my mentors would agree that they have done their job – now it’s my time to spread my wings and fly, showcasing what they taught me.”

Mahle is spreading his wings wide across hospitality field, gaining valuable culinary experience while also mentoring younger staff by teaching them new cooking methods.

“I am proud to be succeeding in this journey that started with my mother and hope to one day pass my passion for cooking on to my children.”