A successful food business is so much more than ingredients, recipes and time spent in the kitchen. For me, The Flying Pan Master Chef, it’s about a single great idea, a passion for cooking and the desire to share my creations with those who appreciate good food. But an idea does not happen overnight and a passion must be nurtured, and after years of hard work and invaluable industry experience my culinary journey has led me here. As chef of The Flying Pan and as a young South African entrepreneur, let me introduce you to my story.

Towards The Flying Pan

Mid 2005 was where it all started. My interest in cooking led me to a small but busy local Italian restaurant, and within a year I was helping out in the kitchen, learning techniques and developing flavoursome combinations of food that worked.

After 3 years I moved on and worked as a chef for a healthy sandwich and lunch delivery business. Running the business for 8 months gave me invaluable experience and insight into the operations of a micro business and gave me a glimpse of what entrepreneurship could be like.

A thirst for adventure led me to South Korea, where I cooked in a Seoul kitchen where none of my fellow chefs could speak English. Needless to say my Korean conversational skills were not so sharp but my kitchen lingo developed fast. But despite the language barrier it was obvious that my colleagues were some of the most talented chefs I had ever worked with. Being in Asia I found their use of ingredients to be so different to that of western cuisine but no less delicious, broadening my culinary knowledge extensively.

Upon returning home I started work immediately as the head chef of a popular southern suburbs restaurant. Managing 17 staff members was one of my greatest challenges as the staff consisted of so many different ethnicities. However we were all united by a single passion, food.

While working I decided in 2012 that it was time to get qualified and I completed my International Chef’s Diploma with distinction. By the end of 2012 I was ready to channel my energy, passion and time into a business that I could call mine and The Flying Pan was conceptualised. Perhaps here is where the real journey begins.

Why The Flying Pan?

As a chef I have always loved to serve people delicious, healthy and wholesome food, but even I struggle to cook good food on a day off or find it difficult to make a quick dinner if time is limited. Yes, there are easy meals and takeaways but they require getting into a car and buying ingredients. I thought about the convenience of a healthy meal delivery service that drops your dinner off at your desk, so all you have to do is go home, heat and enjoy. It eliminates the time, cost and energy involved with cooking and gives you more time to relax. Furthermore, the service is also tailored to different dietary requirements, featuring a classic, vegetarian and low carb menu.

So that’s the concept behind The Flying Pan; I want to delight peoples’ taste buds while saving them time and money. That being said The Flying Pan will be coming to a desk near you from the 18th February 2013.

Please Enjoy.

Mathew Hoepner
The Flying Pan Masterchef

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