The cook-offs and service presentations for the 2023 Inter Hotel Challenge, sponsored by HEINEKEN Beverages, commenced on Friday 20 October at the Capsicum Culinary Studio in Cape Town. Local media had the opportunity to pop in and watch the day unfold. We went from room to room and from kitchen to kitchen, watching the candidates put their skills to the test. The candidates are competing in different categories: chefs, pastry chefs, concierges, baristas, and wine stewards. After the Cape Town cook-offs and service presentations, the team went on to judge the cook-offs and service presentations in Johannesburg and Durban. The winners of the Heineken Inter Hotel Challenge will be announced on 28 November at the gala awards dinner at the Southern Sun Cape Sun Hotel in Cape Town.