As part of a four-day state visit to South Africa, Austrian Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, accompanied by First Lady Doris Schmidauer and a high-level economic and cultural delegation, paid a visit to our social enterprise Cooktastic in Cape Town.

The visit offered powerful insights into Cooktastic’s mission — providing young people from under-resourced communities with access to professional culinary training and real career opportunities. During a guided tour of the facilities, the delegation was introduced to the three core pillars of the Cooktastic program.

One of the most meaningful moments came during a direct exchange with the Cooktastic students. The President and his delegation engaged in personal conversations, showing genuine interest in the stories, challenges, and aspirations of the young talents.

The visit also included a focused presentation on Cooktastic’s vision and impact — and concluded with a shared lunch, carefully prepared by the students themselves. A true culinary highlight that captured the spirit of the initiative.

We are honored by the interest, encouragement, and meaningful engagement throughout the visit. And we look forward to what comes next.