Success could not have happened to a nicer guy. Radisson Blu Umhlanga Executive Chef Sihle Skwambane has cooked for heads of state, sporting heroes, celebrities, and families alike.
He’s at the top of his game, and with a disarming smile, soft-spoken kindness, and talent that stretches to the moon and back, Skwambane has taken the culinary world by storm — and conquered it deliciously.
Food has been a lifelong passion. It started far from hotel buffets and plated gala dinners.
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Skwambane said he was baking by the age of nine at his Gauteng home in Tsakane — and never really stopped.
“I’ve always loved cooking,” he said. This passion puzzled people around him.
“My family didn’t understand or approve of a black guy wanting to be a chef. Everybody was becoming a teacher, a lawyer, a policeman, an accountant. Why food?”
Not a traditional career path
But it was almost like it was all predestined. And it’s not like he didn’t try other avenues.
After school, he tried marketing, lasted three months, and, in his words, “failed dismally”.
He returned to catering and hit the books at Durban University of Technology.
After graduating, opportunities drew him back to Johannesburg, because at the time professional kitchens in Durban were fewer and far between.
Now, he said, Umhlanga’s growth has flipped opportunities in hospitality.
“Tables have turned. Buildings are mushrooming, boutique hotels are the in thing, beachfront houses are turning into hospitality spaces. This is the place to be,” he said.
Umhlanga is the place to be
Skwambane’s first jobs as a young chef were in mass catering, where he cooked in bulk for corporate clients.
He prepared daily meals for about 600 people and upwards, producing roasts, grills, casseroles, vegetables, and starches for hungry workers and executives.
Then came the big leagues of events catering: presidential inaugurations, major state functions, and the funeral of Adelaide Tambo, where, he said, about 17 000 meals had to be coordinated.
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Concerts for Robbie Williams and Snoop Dogg. Rugby events and large festivals.
His first plated corporate dinner catered for 3 000 guests on a set menu.
“My background has always been large scale,” he said, adding that he’d even done a stint in airline catering.
A period at Carnival City, back in Gauteng, changed his trajectory.
There, he was exposed to both event-based and hotel environments, and he was drawn to the latter.
There was more à la carte cooking, more detail, more room to plate individual meals instead of feeding crowds from chafing dishes.
A former executive chef later called him to Rosebank, a path that led to his first executive chef role at the Holiday Inn in 2010 during the World Cup.
“It was my first gig as an exec chef,” he said, recalling the pressure of hosting international guests. Country clubs followed, blending fine dining with functions and golf events.
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Durban, however, kept calling him back. Eventually, Radisson Blu Umhlanga became home.
“I’m loving every moment,” he said.
Skwambane also introduced Monday-night African Pride menus featuring traditional dishes like tripe and trotters.
Canapés are his passion because the challenge of deconstructing a complex dish, making it tiny, and keeping it delicious is irresistible.
Presentation is everything to him.
“You eat with your eyes first,” he said. A dish should make a guest pause. “They must get confused and think, ‘Do I take a picture or do I eat?’”
Passion over prestige
Being a chef is demanding.
“A typical week comprises six days and 14 hours daily,” he said.
“When you love what you do, it doesn’t become a job; it becomes a lifestyle.”
Television, he added, has given many trainees the wrong impression.
“They look at these cool TV shows and think it’s simple, but they don’t show you the nine or ten hours behind the scenes.”
He relaxes at home by experimenting with new dishes and flavor combinations.
A father of three, he remains actively involved in his children’s lives.
He said he does not prescribe their futures. Passion, he said, matters more than prestige.
“It’s not even about the money. You can have a great salary and be miserable.”
Skwambane is inspired by life and by making a positive impact.
What gets him up each day is the idea that he can influence someone’s experience — whether a guest or a junior chef finding their feet.
More than that, he wants to inspire people positively.
With his demeanor, work ethic, and gentle nature, he’s poised to continue doing that — and to achieve his next ambition: hotel management.
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