Daniel Payne, Head Chef of View Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg, has his eyes on the prize – the San Pellegrino Young Chef award 2019-2020.

Set in the iconic hilltop village of Westcliff, Chef Daniel Payne has made his culinary home at Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg. Having joined the Hotel in 2014 under his predecessor Head Chef Dirk Gieselmann, a three-Michelin starred master, Chef Payne has proven himself to be dynamic and progressive, from menu planning to the pass. Now at 28 years old, Chef Payne has been enticing patrons with his original approach to gastronomy.

Self-described as “Continental with a twist,” Chef Payne takes great delight in experimenting with global inspirations earning himself solid foodie cred. “I love the delicacy and purity of the French approach to food, but I have to put my own spin on it, whether it’s through Asian fermentations or German flavours,” describes Chef Payne.

His eccentrically innovative approach to food is the backbone of the View's sumptuous menu, which includes skate with squid ink spätzle, chorizo, inkomazi, mussel and nasturtium, as well as the delicately oak-smoked Karoo lamb loin and breast, with watercress, aubergine, fermented tofu and hazelnut.

No dish encapsulates Chef Payne methodology better than the virtuosic entry that placed him in the prestigious San Pellegrino Young Chef Award 2019-2020 - ekugaleni. Translated from the Zulu word for “in the beginning,” ekugaleni celebrates two uniquely South African ingredients: the green mielie and the black-necked ostrich, in an homage to the hunter/gatherer lifestyle of the Khoi San.

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