Alumnus: Dian Botes

At the age of 16, Dian Botes’ father passed away and the family found themselves struggling to make ends meet. Determined to help, Dian left school and started working as a kitchen assistant in Saldanha Bay before securing an internship with Protea Hotels in Cape Town.

Recognising an untapped culinary talent, the hotel enrolled him in a three-year internship which included a Professional Cookery Course at Capsicum’s Cape Town campus. Dian graduated in 2016 and went on to work at several places as a Chef de Partie such as African Pride 15 On Orange, Mink & Trout Wine Bar Bistro and Chef’s Warehouse.

It was at the latter where he caught the eye of award-winning chef Liam Tomlin who appointed Dian Sous Chef at his latest venture, The Bailey, a three-in-one culinary destination, which opened in June 2022. It doesn’t escape Dian that he is working at one of the city’s trendiest and acclaimed eateries, an opportunity he puts down to hard slog and perseverance.

“Hard work pays off and now I’m working for one of the best chefs - if not the best chef - in South Africa,” he says. Botes is determined to keep on to learning as much as he can from Liam and those around him at The Bailey and says in five years’ time, he hopes to be in a position to open his own business and create a fun and learning environment for young chefs stepping in to the industry.