Chef's Odyssey: Far from home cooking

Serving chakalaka and boerewors, and trying to ship biltong to the US for 700 Florida citizens, has made South African chef Keketso Sephai's experience in the US one to remember.

Sephai, who is training at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Florida, studied culinary arts at Olive Chef School, in Bloemfontein, and aspires to train under television celebrity and two-star Michelin chef Michel Roux jnr.

Born in Mafikeng, North West, the young chef would like to travel for at least five more years to learn how to prepare the food of various cultures.

''I'm 23 years old and would love to work as a 'sky chef' - a chef who is not settled yet, but aims to travel and cook around the world. I intend to explore for a while," she said.

Sephai, who feels most at home cooking meat and fresh produce, now serves up dishes such as shrimp, grits and lobster for Florida foodies.

She has been in Florida for almost a year and said she sometimes craves pap, wors and gravy.

Her 12-hour shift starts with chopping, slicing, grilling and frying.

Hard work doesn't bother her - her aspiration to become a world-class chef gives her plenty of energy.

She hopes that one day she'll bring her talent back home to train local chefs.