David Grier

Adventurer
David’s last challenge was the a run from Guantanimo bay on the southern tip of Cuba to the most North eastern point – This was done just after his run from the John O’ Groats to Lands End down the UK, then a run from South to North Up Ireland followed by a run along Hadrian’s wall. In that same year David ran from the most northern temple in Kashmir India to the most southern temple in the ocean at Kanyikumari a distance of some 4008 km and a time span of 93 days becoming one of the first people to complete this deemed to be impossible feat.

To date: David has run The Great wall of China 4200km in 93 days, Run the entire coastline of South Africa 3300 km in 80 days, paddled from Africa to Madagascar 500km in 12 days, run the Island of Madagascar South to north 2700km in 67 days, run the entire length of India 4008 km in 93 days.
These challenges have also been published as photographic journals.
David is a trustee and ambassador for the ‘Cipla Miles for Smiles Foundation’, raising funds through adventure for Operation Smile, South Africa, who performs corrective surgery on children born with cleft lips and palates.

Chef
David was born on the 16th of January 1960 into a Cape wine farming family in South Africa, where his love of the outdoors, food, wine and adventure began. He set out to take all his passions to the extreme and explore the limits of the human mind and body.
After studying hotel management at the hotel school in Gauteng David started his career in the hospitality industry. A year later David opened his first string of successful restaurants, running them from the engine room, the kitchen.

A challenge never put David off rising through this field, his restaurant became ranked in the top 100 in the country and remained there. David has spent a lot of time abroad, promoting South African food and now has a company called “I Like That”, manufacturing food products for the international markets. His products can be found in 10 countries globally. This has culminated in his appearance in many cooking shows and food related programs and finally he aims to do his own cooking show.

• Finalist in SA Chef of the year 2001
• Finalist in SA Chef of the year 2002
• Top 100 SA restaurants 2002 – 2004
• 2nd SA Chef of the year 2000
• Guest SA chef with SA ambassador to Kenya 1999
• Guest SA chef on 6 star cruise liner, the American Crystal Cruise Ship 2001 and 2002
• Guest SA chef in Germany, 2003 raised R20 000 for Street Kids in Cape Town
  2nd Place SA National Mushroom Festival
• Guest SA chef Singapore international food festival 2006
• 3rd Place National Oyster Festival 2007
• SA Chef of the Year finalist 2007
• Guest Chef to Germany 2010 SA promotion prior to the world cup

His Presentations
He draws from past experiences of overcoming adversities to deliver an inspiring and entertaining message. David gives us amazing social-economic insights into distant and remote places where very few have gone before. His message is of hope and ‘making a difference’ in peoples’ lives through change, positivity, the right attitude, recognizing opportunity and never giving up.

His relaxed manner, sense of humour and interesting take on life will keep you enthralled the entire time and afterword, wanting to make a difference in your life and in that of others.

NEW TALK
DELIVER / CHANGE
In many a way I think that this is one of the most important factors that I have had to come to terms with, the realisation that everything and everyone around us is evolving, changing at such a rapid rate. In order to keep pace, one has to have the ability to evolve with it.

SPICES TEA AND PHILOSOPHY
Starting in Kashmere, in the foothills of the Himalayas at the most northern temple I began this epic run down India, traveling through 10 provinces which in the end felt like 10 different countries.

BURNT VANILLA
Ultimately each journey will etch a scar of life as it passes. As I fought the twisting path of this journey, a path that has sent me on so many unplanned detours, I look back at the many different stages and how everything has panned out, they are far from the original path.

HOPE IN THYME
´What does the future hold for us? Is there hope in the future for our country?´. We have undergone such massive change over the past 15 years and in order to carry on with this process, there must be a reward. To David that reward is hope and the knowledge that this country is going to be a better place.

COURAGE AND RICE
Through this run I had to personally deal with life threatening situations and life changing decisions, ultimately realizing that in order to continue with my journey I had to embrace change and evolve. I found out how important it is to be able to change as we travel our personal journeys through life to ultimately meet success.