Award-winning chef’s passion for food began on the chaggim

When his name was called at the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, Aren Pollack didn’t move. He stayed seated, unsure if he had heard correctly, until those around him urged him to go to the stage. 

In that instant, a long-held dream became real. Pollack, 25, head chef at Embarc Restaurant in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, was named the Eat Out Rising Star. 

“I wasn’t actually sure that I got called,” he said of the award ceremony at Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre on 23 March. “Everyone told me to ‘Get up. Get on stage.’” 

This award recognises emerging talent in South Africa’s restaurant industry and these awards are considered the ‘Oscars’ of the South African culinary scene, serving as the premier benchmark for excellence in the local hospitality industry. 

For Pollack, it marked both a personal milestone and a collective achievement. “It’s an individual win, but it’s actually a whole team,” he says. “It’s not just one person in the kitchen every day.” 

Pollack’s start in cooking wasn’t conventional. As a child, he struggled to fit into the traditional school system. His parents recognised this early and moved him to a smaller, more creative environment. “It really nurtured kids’ individual talents,” he says. “I was allowed the space to find out what I really love. And that is cooking.” 

Food had always been central in his life. Growing up in a traditional Jewish home, meals and celebrations were closely linked. Family gatherings, especially around chaggim, centred on shared dishes and time together. “All Jewish holidays are centred around food,” he says. “It’s always been a safe space and something that brings people together.” 

He recalls the anticipation before these occasions as clearly as the meals themselves. “It was always: what are we making? Food was always the first thought,” he says. This early connection shaped not only his career choice, but his understanding of food as something with meaning beyond the plate. 

After deciding to pursue cooking professionally, Pollack enrolled at the Prue Leith Culinary Institute in Centurion. The three-year course included two six-month internships, both of which exposed him to demanding kitchen environments. 

His first placement was at Salsify at the Roundhouse in Cape Town, under chef Ryan Cole. Pollack names Cole as his inspiration and the chef he looks up to most. Although the restaurant environment was intense, it appealed to Pollack “It’s a little scary, and you have lots of anxiety, but it really grows you a lot,” he says. “I was drawn to the craziness of it.” 

He later worked at The Test Kitchen Carbon in Johannesburg, before securing an additional internship in France at chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s Restaurant Jan. On a visit to his brother in Amsterdam, a meal at a restaurant led to an unexpected opportunity. “I loved it so much that I asked for a job,” Pollack says. 

He went on to work there for two years, gaining more international experience, before returning to South Africa. Pollack joined Embarc in April last year, stepping into his first leadership role as head chef. The transition brought new challenges. “I’ve learned a lot about the kitchen and a lot about myself,” he says. 

At Embarc, he has the freedom to experiment and shape the menu. “I’ve had a canvas to be as creative as I like,” he says. “It’s been a great experience.” The sense of constant growth remains central to his approach. “It’s just a constant evolution,” he says. “Never stop pushing.” 

Winning the Rising Star award has reinforced that direction. Although he insists awards are not his primary motivation, he appreciates the recognition. The work can feel relentless, and sometimes unrewarding. “So it’s nice to feel like you’ve achieved something.” 

Pollack says the award has energised him, rather than adding pressure. “It’s been nice to know that we’re going in the right direction,” he says. “And that we can keep going on this path and keep getting better.” 

He points out, though, that he’s experienced the broader challenges within the South African restaurant industry, particularly for young chefs. When he returned from the Netherlands, he encountered a different environment. “I had just been in Europe, where it’s like the epicentre of food,” he says. “Coming here, it was hard.” 

At one stage, he worked with a team that had no formal training. “Nobody went to culinary school. It was people from fairly underprivileged positions.” This meant he had to train staff, share knowledge, and build skills. “It wasn’t just about pushing the food that I wanted,” he says. “It was about pushing the team with me.” 

He believes this kind of development is essential, especially in areas where experienced chefs are scarce. “There aren’t many great cooks and chefs,” he says. 

The demands of kitchen work also require a strong internal drive. “There are a lot of days you really don’t feel like doing it,” he says. “It can feel like a drag sometimes.” For Pollack, passion is what sustains the commitment. “You really have to want to do it,” he says. 

Looking ahead, his goals are both practical and ambitious. At Embarc, the focus remains on growth and refinement. “It’s learning more, experimenting more, teaching more,” he says. 

On a personal level, he has a clear vision. “The goal has always been to have a restaurant of my own one day,” he says. 

But for now, he is focused on building experience, both in the kitchen and in managing a business. “This has been a great opportunity to learn about teaching and people management,” he says. 

Despite his rising profile, Pollack’s approach to food remains grounded in simple pleasures. Asked whom he would most like to cook for, his answer is immediate. “It would definitely be Anthony Bourdain,” he says. 

The meal would be neither elaborate nor formal. Instead, it would reflect his appreciation for honest, flavour-driven food. “I’d love to just cook a great bowl of spicy Thai noodles,” he says. “And sit on a little plastic chair on a street corner and enjoy that with him.” 

It’s an image that captures his philosophy. Food is about connection, experience, and shared moments. From family tables during chaggim, to professional kitchens, that idea has remained constant. Now, with national recognition behind him, Pollack continues to build on that foundation, one service at a time.