There are few nights in the South African food calendar quite like the Eat Out Awards.

It is the evening where chefs step out of the kitchen, restaurant teams come together, and the industry takes a moment to celebrate the work that happens service after service, plate after plate, year after year.

For Clearworld Suppliers, together with S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, being part of that celebration is a meaningful way to support the chefs, restaurants and hospitality professionals shaping South African dining.

The Eat Out Awards recognise more than great food. They celebrate creativity, consistency, leadership, service, sustainability and the teams who bring it all together. As a supplier to South Africa’s HORECA industry, Clearworld is proud to support a platform that gives that work the recognition it deserves.

Celebrating the 2026 Eat Out Awards

The 2026 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards brought South Africa’s food community together at the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town, honouring restaurants and individuals who continue to raise the standard of dining across the country.

This year, FYN was named Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year, recognised for a world-class dining experience that brings together Japanese technique and South African identity with precision, creativity and balance.

The awards also celebrated a growing list of starred restaurants across South Africa, from established fine dining destinations to exciting new voices. With one-star, two-star and three-star restaurants recognised across the country, the evening reflected the depth, ambition and quality of the local restaurant scene.

For Clearworld, this is what makes the Eat Out Awards so important. They do not only celebrate one kind of restaurant or one kind of dining experience. They show the full range of talent shaping South African food culture, from destination restaurants and hotel dining rooms to neighbourhood favourites and new concepts with something fresh to say.

The Chefs’ Chef Award

One of the most meaningful moments of the evening was the Eat Out S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna Chefs’ Chef Award.

This award is special because it is voted for by peers. It is recognition from the people who understand the work best: fellow chefs who know what it takes to lead a kitchen, mentor a team, stay calm in the rush and keep standards high when the pressure is on.

In 2026, the award went to Ryan Cole, a chef respected by the local culinary community for his leadership, talent and contribution to the industry.

For S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, the Chefs’ Chef Award is a natural fit. Both brands have long been connected to the world of gastronomy, fine dining and thoughtful hospitality. For Clearworld, as the South African distributor of S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, it is a privilege to help bring that support into the local industry in a way that feels genuine and relevant.

The award celebrates more than what happens on the plate. It recognises the kind of person other chefs look up to. Someone who inspires, supports and helps move the industry forward.

Clearworld’s Role in the Industry

Clearworld’s involvement with the Eat Out Awards forms part of a wider commitment to South Africa’s restaurant and hospitality industry.

As a supplier of premium international food and beverage brands to restaurants, hotels, cafés, bars and stockists across the country, Clearworld works closely with the people behind the dining experience. We see the care that goes into a menu, the importance of reliable supply, and the role that quality products play in helping chefs and hospitality teams do what they do best.

But being part of the industry means more than supplying products.

It means showing up. It means supporting the platforms that recognise excellence. It means backing initiatives that create visibility for chefs, restaurants and hospitality professionals who are helping South African dining grow.

Through S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, Clearworld continues to support moments that bring the industry together, from the Eat Out Awards to other programmes focused on chef development, sommelier training and the next generation of hospitality talent.

Why Collaboration Matters

The restaurant industry is built on collaboration. Chefs rely on teams. Restaurants rely on suppliers. Guests rely on service. Awards like Eat Out rely on partners who believe in the value of recognising the people doing the work.

That is why this partnership matters.

When suppliers, brands, restaurants and industry platforms work together, they help create a stronger and more visible food community. They help celebrate the people setting new standards, while also encouraging younger chefs and hospitality professionals to keep building their own careers.

S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are often found on the tables of some of the world’s leading restaurants, but their role in South Africa is not just about presence. It is about participation. Through the Eat Out Awards, these brands continue to be part of the local conversation around dining, service, quality and culinary excellence.

For Clearworld, that connection is important. We want to keep building real relationships with the people and businesses who make South African hospitality what it is.

Looking Ahead to the 2027 Awards

The 2026 Eat Out Awards were a celebration of where the industry is now. The 2027 awards will be a chance to see where it goes next.

South African dining continues to evolve quickly. New restaurants are opening, established kitchens are refining their voice, and chefs are thinking more deeply about sustainability, local identity, service and experience.

Clearworld looks forward to continuing its support of the Eat Out Awards in 2027, together with S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. We are excited to see which chefs, restaurants and teams will be recognised next, and to keep celebrating the people who make this industry so alive.

Here’s to the Tables That Bring Us Together

Good restaurants are built by people. The chefs who lead, the teams who serve, the suppliers who keep things moving, and the guests who keep coming back.

At Clearworld, we are proud to support the awards, partnerships and platforms that recognise that work.

Here’s to South African dining, to the people behind it, and to everything still to come.