Eugene Ramcharan is proof yet again, that when you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. At the tender age of 23, Eugene is the Distell Inter Hotel Challenge Chef of the Year 2017/2018. Resident at Durban’s Beverly Hills Hotel, I met him at the launch of the Western Cape leg of the new competition recently and was struck by his humble determination to be the best at his chosen career.

Young people often weigh dozens of variables in choosing a career; how much fun will it be; does it involve travel; what’s the salary like; is their room for growth etc. But Eugene also proves that often one’s profession doesn’t have to be something you agonise over. Almost all the time, it is quite simply that one thing you have been good at and passionate about since a very young age. If you follow your passion, all those good things will come your way anyway.

In Eugene’s case, he won a wonderful opportunity to travel abroad for the first time and hone his craft at an international level. In the interview above, Eugene and I chat about his short, yet stellar career path so far, how and when he realised that cooking was his calling and what is next for him.