Carla Schulze is the Luxe Awards Chef of the Year – here’s the full list of winners

• The Luxe Restaurant Awards celebrated South Africa’s best chefs and restaurateurs, honouring innovation and creativity in South Africa’s vibrant dining scene.
• Carla Schulze, executive chef at Luke Dale Roberts’ Salon in Cape Town, was announced Chef of the Year, while MERTIA in Stellenbosch was announced the Luxe Restaurant of the Year.
• The Luxe Restaurant Awards continues its grading system introduced in 2025, with three stars awarded to restaurants that elevate food to an art form and are worth travelling across the country for.

Carla Schulze, executive chef at Luke Dale Roberts’ Salon in Cape Town, is the 2026 Luxe Restaurant Awards Chef of the Year.

A former self-confessed “school failure,” Schulze received top honours at the awards for her grit, passion and culinary artistry.

“I feel deeply honoured and humbled to receive this award, especially in a year that feels so personal. I turn 30 this year and it also marks my tenth year working with Luke Dale Roberts , which has shaped me both as a chef and as a person, Schulze tells News24 Food.

Her latest accolade follows Salon’s meteoric rise, having secured the Luxe Restaurant of the Year title in 2025, cementing Schulze and the restaurant as forces to be reckoned with in South Africa’s world-renowned restaurant industry.

“This award reflects not just my work, but the passion, creativity, and dedication of the entire Salon team. Every service, every plate, every detail is a collaboration,” she says.

“Luke has been my mentor and a constant source of inspiration. He has continually challenged me to think bigger, push harder, and stay true to my craft.”

Chef Carla Schulze.

The crème de la crème of South Africa’s dining scene gathered at Mira in Sandton, Johannesburg, for the 2026 ceremony, which recognised 30 chefs and restaurateurs across categories spanning fine dining, sustainability, street food and hospitality groups.

MERTIA in Stellenbosch won the 2026 Luxe Restaurant of the Year award, building on its Service Excellence Award from the previous year.

From failure to food star

Schulze began her culinary journey at the Jackie Cameron School of Food and Wine, graduating at the top of her class in 2015.

She moved to the Cape and quickly started working with Dale-Roberts at The Test Kitchen, which was considered Africa’s best restaurant at the time.

Schulze has worked with Dale-Roberts in several roles, from The Test Kitchen to managing the Pot Luck Club’s pop-up in Andermatt, Switzerland, moving up through his restaurants.

She also opened her own eatery, How Bao Now, an Asian-inspired stall at the Time Out Market at the V&A Waterfront.

“I failed miserably at school, and when my lecturer told me I could work at Test Kitchen, I became a top student. It just shows that when you’re passionate about something and believe in something, you can get it,” Schulze had previously reflected to News24 Food.

Since 2023, Salon has become one of Cape Town’s most exciting new restaurants.

Their nine-course Journey and five-course Explorer menus offer a glimpse of Dale-Roberts’ global culinary experience.

The menu changes often, inspired by the chef’s whimsy and the seasons.

“These days, especially at Salon, we focus on beautiful local and in-season ingredients. When you’re using something in season, it’s already at its max in terms of flavour, so you’re already winning,” says Schulze.

With Schulze as leader, Salon won Best New Restaurant in Africa at the 2024 World Culinary Awards. In 2025, it was named Restaurant of the Year at the Luxe Restaurant Awards, and Schulze received the Culinary Innovation of the Year award.

In 2020, Schulze and MERTIA’s chef Matt van den Berg started HowBao Now, a small business selling Taiwanese-style bao buns. It now operates at Time Out Market and Oranjezicht City Farm & Market.

Her work has been recognised with a Street Food of the Year Award in 2021, a Gourmet Guide Rising Star award in 2023, and a three-star rating for Salon at the 2025 Luxe Awards.

Top praises for the SA food scene

MERTIA in Stellenbosch was named Restaurant of the Year, praised for its consistent quality and outstanding dining experience.

Owner Marais Kirsten-Uys and chef Matt van den Berg, both from Stellenbosch, created the restaurant to encourage open conversation between guests and the kitchen.

They previously told News24 Food that their restaurant experience changed with each course and detail, including the wine pairings.

“The thing with being approachable is that either the chefs or I go to the table to check on the table personally; guests love it,” van den Berg explained. “Guests love interacting with the chefs; it is part of our philosophy.”

While Kirsten-Uys said: “For the longest time, restaurants in South Africa have not been approachable to everyone; we were trying to break a barrier; many chefs and restaurateurs are doing it, and they are doing an amazing job. Our biggest thing is personality in everything and humanising the experience; even if you flip through the menu, the whole team is listed at the back of the menu.”

Kirsten-Uys named the restaurant after his grandmother, whose guiding principle was that anything worth doing is worth doing well.

This principle guides everything at MERTIA.

Callan Austin of Dusk won the Culinary Innovation Award, recognized for his bold ideas and ongoing work in modern cuisine.

Amura at the Mount Nelson in Cape Town was awarded New Restaurant of the Year for its elegant concept and quick influence on South Africa’s fine dining scene.

The event also honoured new talent.

Nic Charalambous of Ouzeri in Cape Town received the Culinary Rising Star Award for his unique style and growing impact in the industry.

The Luxe Restaurant Awards are recognised nationally as one of South Africa’s premier dining awards.

They celebrate the innovation, creativity, and dedication of the country’s finest chefs and restaurateurs.