i. Biography
Founder and Executive Chef at Les Créatifs Restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wandile Mabaso has built his work around one clear trade problem: how to turn an idea into a plated result. At Les Créatifs, that shows up in service, pacing, and presentation, including a private dining experience built around the Duval-Leroy Cuvée Sur-Mesure Wandile Mabaso. The emphasis is on control of detail, with creativity treated as a working part of the kitchen rather than a slogan.
The Path
Training at Capsicum gave Wandile Mabaso a base in technique before the work moved into the pressure of service. His first professional kitchen role was at Nando's, where he worked as a professional cook and learned the daily rhythm of production. From there, he moved to Kaiser group in New York City as Executive Sous Chef, a step that placed him in a larger operation and an international context. That sequence — training, service, progression, and international experience — is the structure behind the kitchen he runs now. As owner and Executive Chef of Les Créatifs Restaurant, he brings those layers into one house, where movement through different environments has been converted into a settled point of view.
The Work Today
At Les Créatifs Restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mabaso holds both the founder’s position and the Executive Chef’s brief. That combination matters in practice: he is not only attached to the restaurant’s identity, he is responsible for the decisions that give it shape in service. The Duval-Leroy Cuvée Sur-Mesure Wandile Mabaso appears as part of a private dining experience at Les Créatifs Restaurant, making the beverage program part of the room’s overall composition. It is a specific, named detail, and it signals the level of finish the restaurant aims to carry into the table experience. His own language about the work is plain: “I enjoy bringing creativity to reality.” Read in the context of the restaurant, that line describes a kitchen where concept has to survive execution, and where the job is to make the imagined usable.
Career - Owner and Executive Chef — Les Créatifs Restaurant, Sandton, Johannesburg - Professional cook — Nando's - Executive Sous Chef — Kaiser group, New York City - Intern — Various kitchens in Europe and Italy, Europe; Italy Education: Capsicum; Capsicum; Capsicum; Collège de France
Signature
Wandile's signature dishes include Duval-Leroy Cuvée Sur-Mesure Wandile Mabaso. In trade terms, it reads as a named marker of style: a specific pairing of house identity, presentation, and personal authorship.
In Their Words “I enjoy bringing creativity to reality.”
Acclaim
It links his name to a Champagne house within the setting of a private dining experience in Johannesburg. He frames his career as ongoing rather than complete:
FAQ What is Wandile Mabaso's current role? As of 2026, Wandile Mabaso is Founder and Executive Chef. Where did Wandile Mabaso train or study? Wandile Mabaso trained at Capsicum and Capsicum. What recognition has Wandile Mabaso received? Luxe Restaurant Awards, Chef of the Year.
