Candice Philip is one of South Africa’s most celebrated culinary artists, having been the recipient of “Chef of the Year” at the 2025 Luxe Restaurant Awards and the winner of “Best New Restaurant” for Cyra at the 2025 Eat Out Awards. These moments were never a given, they are the result of slow, deliberate, and silent hard work with unshakeable resolve.
Candice’s story begins in kitchens where the pace was relentless, the standards unforgiving, and the shadows her birthplace of quiet diligence. She was often the only woman in the kitchen and worked under culinary titans who refined her techniques in environments where perfection was expected.
My journey wasn’t rushed. It couldn’t be. I had to wait. To learn. To build the version of myself that could finally tell the story I’ve carried all these years.
There were sacrifices and moments of invisibility. There were nights when her unspoken talent and presence held weight, helping to let her food speak louder than she could. She used the shadows to not only sharpen her knife but also her voice. Most of all, she learnt patience, a patience that would one day become her signature.
That day has come, and it goes by the name Cyra.
Cyra is more than an award-winning restaurant. It’s the culmination of a life’s worth of listening, observing, aching, and creating. Every detail of the space is the result of meticulous planning. Soft, feminine, and intentional. Muted golds, petal pinks, and deep forest greens wrap guests in quiet luxury. Hand-forged metalwork by Sarah Cronin, golden floral motifs, and tactile linens mirror the delicacy of the food. Nothing shouts or overwhelms. Everything whispers.
Cyra’s seven-course tasting journey is a dance between boldness and restraint. A dish like pork and liquorice surprises and delights, which linger, not because of trends or fashion, but because of honesty. Candice’s approach to flavour is intuitive and emotional. “Technique should never be there to impress,” she says, “it should be there to express.”
Candice’s philosophy is carved into every plate, every silence, every note of music humming in the dining room. Cyra’s service is a study of grace. Unforced, attentive, and deeply human. Her team doesn’t just serve food, they serve care, anticipation, and belonging.
I never wanted to create a place where people felt watched. I wanted to create a place where people could feel held, Candice explains.
Now, Candice is being held by the industry, her peers, and diners who walk away from Cyra changed. This is only the beginning. For Candice, it’s the beginning of something long overdue. It’s the beginning of telling her story, in all its glory, unapologetically.
Cyra isn’t just about the awards, it’s about arrival. The quiet resilience that turns waiting into an art form. About the kind of excellence that can’t be manufactured, only earned.
Candice Philip didn’t arrive fast. She arrived ready, and the world is finally catching up.
Follow her journey through Instagram, LinkedIn, and the Cyra website.
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Feature image credit: Cyra
