Sylvester Nair
Chef Extraordinaire
A little on my life story and claim to fame 
Personal Life History
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A Burning
Passion Ignited:
With a burning passion for cooking which was ignited as a child, Chef Sylvester always knew a great dish when he saw it. A designer of flavours and composer of tastes, he has been in the kitchen since the age of nine, mastering the craft of creating delicacies to relish with his father – respected internationally renowned chef, Luke Nair, Head Chef of Oyster Box Durban. A passion for cooking seems to run in the family,from a pretty tender age, found himself voluntarily in a kitchen, alongside his Mum and Grandmother making Roti’s and Samoosas.
A Burning Passion Ignited:
With a burning passion for cooking which was ignited as a child, Chef Sylvester always knew a great dish when he saw it. A designer of flavours and composer of tastes, he has been in the kitchen since the age of nine, mastering the craft of creating delicacies to relish with his father – respected internationally renowned chef, Luke Nair, Head Chef of Oyster Box Durban. A passion for cooking seems to run in the family,from a pretty tender age, found himself voluntarily in a kitchen, alongside his Mum and Grandmother making Roti’s and Samoosas.
A Burning Passion
Ignited:
With a burning passion for cooking which was ignited as a child, Chef Sylvester always knew a great dish when he saw it. A designer of flavours and composer of tastes, he has been in the kitchen since the age of nine, mastering the craft of creating delicacies to relish with his father – respected internationally renowned chef, Luke Nair, Head Chef of Oyster Box Durban. A passion for cooking seems to run in the family,from a pretty tender age, found himself voluntarily in a kitchen, alongside his Mum and Grandmother making Roti’s and Samoosas.
His own touch
Chef Sylvester places his own touch on the dishes, including nasturtium garnishes, jasmine flavoured pearls and rice coloured with squid ink to give a different spin on a side dish.
A dry sense of humour and a wicked laugh make Chef Sylvester a treat, and his clear pride and joy in every dish he creates is something to behold.
Loves to make people happy
He admits that he loves to make people happy, and he speaks through his food – when he sees people enjoying their meal and having a fantastic dining experience, it truly makes him happiest.
Learning from the best
Chef Sylvester, who hails from Durban, has dedicated his life to the love of food and tallied up a perfect résumé, having completed his studies at the Culinary Academy at Backsberg Wine Estate before working at several of South Africa’s leading restaurants.
Not only top-notch culinary
He not only brings top-notch culinary experience to Maximillien but will also be created and designed a new menu for Maximillien. The new menu will embrace many of Chef Sylvester’s memorable ‘signature dishes’ Butter Chicken Curry, pan fried buttermilk squid tentacles to mention a few.
His own touch
Chef Sylvester places his own touch on the dishes, including nasturtium garnishes, jasmine flavoured pearls and rice coloured with squid ink to give a different spin on a side dish.
A dry sense of humour and a wicked laugh make Chef Sylvester a treat, and his clear pride and joy in every dish he creates is something to behold.
Loves to make people happy
He admits that he loves to make people happy, and he speaks through his food – when he sees people enjoying their meal and having a fantastic dining experience, it truly makes him happiest.
Leaving a mark
After finishing up on the morning show 2019 has taken a flight to a new side of the world. To Wellington the Capital of New Zealand !!! The cuisine there is largely driven by local ingredients and seasonal variations. An Island nation with a primarily agricultural economy. Similar to the cuisine of Australia, the food culture in New Zealand is diverse. So watch this space as I prepare for my journey leaving my mark on it…..
His own touch
Chef Sylvester places his own touch on the dishes, including nasturtium garnishes, jasmine flavoured pearls and rice coloured with squid ink to give a different spin on a side dish.
Loves to make people happy
He admits that he loves to make people happy, and he speaks through his food – when he sees people enjoying their meal and having a fantastic dining experience, it truly makes him happiest.
2017 an exciting year-
with a lot of accomplishments:
His own Cooking Segment
You can also now catch him on ETV every morning from 06h00 to 08h00 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Where he will be cooking up as storm with difference recipes being show cased on the morning show.
On magazine covers
Dickies Brand Influencer
Took a Prestigious Chaine Des Rotisseur Award

He has a Royal Culinary Bloodline running through his veins, but it takes more than that to achieve success. Sylvester is breaking borders and pushing boundaries, and I think we should be ready to hear about his Michelin star status soon. The man who has a penchant for fast cars and tattoos, also has his sights set on a few special projects, one of them is to own his own restaurant one day.