The saying goes, if you want to get something done, ask a busy person. Exemplar of this truism, Dr Bill Gallagher, has done - and continues to do - an extraordinary amount to raise the profile and standards of the culinary profession in South Africa. These days, his efforts are focused on the chefs of the future.

English-born Dr Gallagher first started his career as a cook, then a chef. He came to us in 1973, as an employee of Southern Sun. Both, as it turned out, had a fine nose for business. Thirty-six years later, Southern Sun is one of the leading hotel brands in Africa. Gallagher, who turned out to be a stroke of inspired recruitment, remains in their employ (although no longer as a chef) and these days supplements his original title of executive sous-chef with those of presidencies, memberships, directorial seats, medals, chairmanships, honorary memberships, an honorary doctorate and, unsurprisingly, awards.

The starting point was The Elizabeth, Southern Sun’s newly opened five Star establishment in Port Elisabeth. Coming from the structured professionalism of an English training, Gallagher’s eyes were opened to rifts in knowledge that existed between his background and his new South African environment. He realized that “Competence was an issue - that it was lacking - and that there was so much opportunity for rectification.” The point to be made is that within the context of the hotel’s efficient management, Gallagher’s Olympic organizational capacity was given release, a bit like rubbing Aladdin’s lamp. Although a chef by profession, few would dispute that Gallagher’s real genius lies in being a leader and motivator of men. Immediately he set about
organizing his kitchen staff, which, of necessity, required the elevation of their skills capacity. His vocation had found him. Later on, this was formalized in a movement away from the kitchen and into management (Gallagher is a graduate of the University of Pretoria School of Management Development Program and Executive Development Program).

It is this energy and vision as an instigator, convener and think-tank that interests us for the purposes of these pages. Perhaps it was FEDHASA, who bestowed upon him the FEDHASA Hospitality Industry Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2000, recognising him as an exceptional leader in the global hospitality industry, who get closer to the point. The list goes on. Gallagher is also the simultaneous recipient of the Pinnacle Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Hospitality Industry; an Honorary Life President of the World Association of Chefs Societies and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for services to the Hospitality Industry from Eat Out Magazine, the World Association of Chefs Societies and Chaine Des Rôtisseurs – Bailliage d’ Afrigue du Sud. All this in addition to Achiever of the Year for Entrepreneurship 2007 from Simonsvlei; the TBCSA/Hospitality Investment Awards 2008 and receiving the Ellen Kuzwayo Council medal for his leadership in promoting the South African Tourism Industry and contribution towards University of Johannesburg’s School of Tourism

These demonstrate that his talents are not confined to the stove alone. He shows diligence and dedication in questions of organization - who gets to do what, how and making sure that it gets done. In a nutshell, Gallagher is about a man used to conceiving ideas, managing large projects and nurturing them to successful completion. In the culinary world, the focus of his energies, the SACA Skills Kitchen is one such example. He is also the founding director of the Holiday Inn Garden Court Brand in South Africa and was jointly involved in developing and establishing the brand of Holiday Inn Garden Courts throughout the country, consisting of 24 conversions and new builds. He also created the McGinty's Irish Pub and Starlite Diner Concepts. On to that you can add
several openings of new hotels and resorts and their numerous restaurants.

Of his achievements, those he likes to discuss are geared toward the upliftment of the profession of chef in South Africa, through various initiatives broadly designed to raise skills standards. Part of this was the instrumental role in played the growth of the South African Chefs Association (SACA), dedicated to skills development in this arena. It is an association that continues to grow. Dr Gallagher’s most recent project has been the conceptualization of SACA’s most exciting project to date – the establishment of the Southern Sun Centre for Culinary Excellence, which will have far-reaching effects for the hospitality industry in South Africa: Housing a library, culinary archives, computer centre and the establishment of internet-based learning material, accessible across the industry. Completing the experiential range of the project is the SACA Skills Kitchen, a fully equipped state-of-the-art kitchen, which is used to facilitate training courses. The actualization of the skills kitchen - largely constructed with donor funds - was a Gallagher driven initiative, to which he applied his
trademark systematic goal setting and tenacious pursuit.

If you are curious to know what drives a such a personality, Gallagher candidly insists that he “loves the glory, achievement and respect” that comes at the end of a job well done, but is careful to point out that he has a working philosophy of needing help to get there. He laughs gently at the thought of the many people who: “Would not describe my insistence on their participation as quiet”.

Dr Gallagher currently sits on the board of directors of World Association of Chefs Societies Congress (WACS) as honorary life president. The annual WACS Conference, the next taking place in Chile in January of 2010, is one of the best ways for international chefs to meet and discuss issues of the day, this year, for the fourth time, the Congress will also have a Junior Forum, designed and made possible by Dr. Gallagher. It is an opportunity for chefs under the age of 25 to meet like-minded individuals and is a way of developing youthful minds towards leadership and initiative.

He is also chairman of Southern Sun Book-a-Guesthouse. Members, bed and breakfast owners in Soweto, receive training sessions at the Southern Sun Centre for Culinary Excellence Skills Kitchen and are given theoretical and
practical lessons in the preparation and serving of a variety of breakfast dishes, by qualified chefs. The idea is to accredit these establishments to Match Hospitality standards (the hospitality arm of FIFA) in order to be able to assist with the accommodation requirements for the World Cup. The operations team working on the project has spent the past four years preparing the members for the World Cup through various training courses. “2010 is naturally a landmark but at the root of the project, is the motivation of sustainable enterprise development that requires a vision beyond 2010. Thus members are equipped with the necessary operational skills through customised, relevant mentoring and training on a continuous basis,” comments Dr Gallagher. The project aims to assist in creating sustainable businesses beyond the World Cup.

His latest project (begun in 2004) is the one he would like to be remembered for: The Dr Bill Gallagher Young Chefs Study Assistance Fund, designed to provide students already enrolled in culinary training programmes with financial assistance (in small amounts, about R5000) which can be used to fund knives, books, field trips and study aids. Again, it is about skills development and funds are generated through fund raising initiatives and donations. It is aimed at young students who would otherwise be unable to complete their studies due to financial restraints. On a practical level, with the approach of the 2010 World Cup it is estimated that South Africa will need approximately 5 000 additional chefs to cater to the thousands of soccer fans who will be visiting
our country. In this way young people, who perhaps would have not been able to do so otherwise, are able to flower and carry the torch whose standards were, in some way, set by Gallagher himself. Of the fund’s meaning for Dr Gallagher, he says “It is for what I put in and what I got out”.