Keeping Kitchen Craft Alive
A sheet metal worker from Johannesburg, South Africa creates one-of-a-kind catering equipment for customers
Sean Gouws is a skilled craftsman. The sheet metal worker from Johannesburg, South Africa, prides himself in creating one-of-a-kind kitchen equipment. He started his journey as an apprentice at his dad's factory, Rovigo's Catering Equipment. He's been working in the catering equipment business for more than two decades, and he continues to perfect his craft at Germiston, South Africa-based manufacturer C8ter, which specializes in quality catering equipment such as fryers, grillers, extraction systems and more.
When it comes to commercial kitchens, stock options don't always cut it. You need a custom design — or perhaps you're looking for something a bit outside of the box. That's where Gouws comes in. While some may say kitchen craft is becoming a lost art, Gouws is determined to keep it alive — and he's passionate about the work that he does.
"I do all my designs myself on customer description, so most of the stuff is on-one-of-a-kind (specials, as we call it)," he said. Gouws works on both commercial and residential properties.
If you ask Gouws, he'll tell you one of his best creations was a combination griller and fryer, a Chinese wok with ovens underneath. While Gouws does all the gas and electric work himself, he does not handle the welding.
"The sheet metal industry in South Africa has been fading. I notice that there are plenty of smaller companies doing kitchen crafts, but there are a lot of imports that have taken the market," he said. "I'm just lucky to be doing special equipment — that's where we make our money."
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