A long-standing and valued client of N1 Restaurant Suppliers, Extreem Kwizeen is a catering and event management company with well-established credentials in the local function and events industry. Based in Cape Town with the necessary infrastructure to operate nationally for large corporate events, Extreem Kwizeen is owned and managed by the talented Wynand du Plessis. With an impressive resume which includes time spent at the world-renowned Mount Nelson Hotel; representing South Africa in the Culinary World Cup; and working as Head Chef in two Clapham, South London restaurants; Wynand returned to South Africa in 2001 and launched Extreem Kwizeen shortly thereafter.

Wynand kindly took time out to chat with us about Extreem Kwizeen and his fast-paced industry.

What was it that first drew you to the hospitality industry?

To earn extra pocket money at school I worked at outside catering companies over weekends and school holidays as a plate scraper and later a waiter. I worked my way up to a function supervisor for events and really liked to see people happy after managing their event for them on the day.

You trained at a number of prestigious restaurants, are there any particular mentors that stand out and if so, why?

There are so many that had a positive influence on my career. Amongst them are Kevin Gibbs, my 1st Head Chef at the Carlton Hotel. Garth Stroebel, the Head Chef at the Mount Nelson, at the time Sous Chefs Campbell Starr, Nick Carter, Alex Docherty, Peter Ahearn, Jane Mulray and Jean Arlar. But it’s not only the big names in high positions, numerous Chef de Parties and fellow trainees that instilled "Work harder, never give up and second best is not good enough" in me over the years. Being on the national team I also gained a world of experience and insight from Chefs like David Higgs, Chris van Wyk and Andre Kropp.

Participating in the Culinary World Cup must have been a remarkable experience, especially for someone so young. What do you remember most about the event?

It was the 1st time going overseas for me and being so young the fear of the unknown played a massive part in the stress leading up to it. The most intimidating moment was at the Opening Ceremony, walking into a room filled with 2400+ chefs all dressed in their chef’s whites. A very humbling experience.

Extreem Kwizeen is 13 years old this year – when you started out, what were the greatest challenges you faced?

Initially the biggest challenge was to get more infrastructure in place to keep up with the demand, so that the same amount of work can be done in less time. It’s not fun having to do Potato Bake 5 times for a thousand people because you only have one oven that can only do 200 portions at a time. Now the infrastructure is sorted and larger volumes are a lot more manageable. The second biggest challenge (but most important) is, was and always will be consistency. If its for 2, 20, 200 or 2000 people - consistency across the board. It doesn’t mean because the numbers go up the quality must go down!!!!

You pride yourself on using only the best quality products and only the freshest ingredients – how far back does your relationship with N1 extend and what would you say is your overall experience in dealing with N1?

I have been dealing with N1 for about 8 years. Overall the working experience is good with them and have not had any major issues. If something is wrong it always gets corrected fast and efficiently. Consistency is something they are very good at!

Extreem Kwizeen has an impressive track record of events covering everything from sports functions and political gatherings to music concerts – are there any specific highlights, any ‘wow, I can’t believe we got to do that’ moments?

There are too many to name them all. We have done some amazing weddings, grand corporate gala dinners and a whole selection of Car & Product Launches. To drop a few names, Rolls Royce Ghost Launch, Aston Martin and Mclaren launches and the Ferrari 458 on the car front. Concerts – VIP Hospitality for - 46664, U2, Lady Gaga, Colplay, Kings of Leon, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, Neil Diamond and Bruce Springsteen – can’t remember them all! Lunches and Dinners at Tuynhuys for events hosted by the President for visiting foreign heads of state.

And finally, with all that Extreem Kwizeen has already achieved, what are your future plans for continued success?

Future plans include survival in the quiet Cape Town winter months, consistency and continued delivery of value for money products and services that goes beyond the client’s expectations.

In closing we wish the Extreem Kwizeen team every success in their future endeavours and we want to thank Wynand again for taking the time to chat with us. Be sure to watch this space for the next instalment of ‘The N1 Spotlight falls on’.