How it started
My journey started in my mother’s kitchen, her cook books, love for cooking, and entertaining others.
The ultimate lesson came from phone calls in step by step instruction when preparing dinner for the family. I enjoyed the silence behind the stove and being alone in the kitchen. Time had no meaning. It was beautiful. Art and cooking shared the same silence. But it did not!
I knew that the industry was the only journey for me. I followed the signs and allowed the journey to guide me in discovery and travel.
I enjoy slow intricate processes that time, that require discipline in executing. Making a terrine or a ferment.
I am not a writer. This is my journey and my thoughts. Rant, rave, reflect.
I have worked and given my life to the food industry for over 30 years. I have nothing to hide. These are my stories, reflection, and gratitude I want to share. More importantly, it is about reflection.
I don’t like fussy food. It is about real food that is honest and is deeply rooted tradition.
Waste is important. The story we tell. We don’t have to perfect, just try!
Every part of the process has to be transparent. I don’t want to lie to myself, the people I work with, or the client!
“The foundation of our process starts with respect. Respect for the ingredient, respect for the process, respect for the end product, and respect for the diner.”
My philosophy
I am defined by the process, transparency, and respect.
We do not understand or appreciate, when we look at an ingredient, the responsibility we have towards that ingredient.
Respect is rooted in the appreciation for farmer, supplier, precision, and guest. They are all linked.
Once you purchase an ingredient, you have responsibility towards that ingredient. The same goes back to supplier. Trust and transparency becomes intrinsically part of the process.
Important milestones
This might seem strange, but for me they were not as important as the moments that propelled me toward receiving! We do not always appreciate the moment we are in, forced or not. It is not always the award that matters. As much as they are important, there was always a moment that propelled me towards the reward!
Meeting Wolf Voight, a lecturer at Hotel School, who by default connected me as a student to Trevor Basson at Turfontein Race Course. He guided and taught me more than anyone. He was like a father.
Opportunities
The opportunity in banqueting at the Tropicana Hotel in Durban, when others did not show up, the opportunity to shine when others could not or would not. This forced me to seize opportunities quickly and learn as much as possible.
Johan Kotze and George Cohen, who took a leap of faith in believing in me when I was at the Parktonian Hotel.
Taking opportunities when no one else wants them defines a journey. This journey is special, as it is carved with so much victory that only you would know.
Looking back
I was fortunate to win a gold medal at the Culinary Olympics in 2008, the same year I was awarded Dine Chef of the Year, later in 2012 Sunday Times Chef of the Year, and in 2022 I was awarded a long-time achievement award by Eat Out.
Stepping stones into this career
As a teenager, I wanted to go and study art, but my mother stopped me and encouraged me to go into a technical direction. At that stage I was angry. The reality was I just wanted to be alone in my own head, surrounded by solitude.
After leaving school, I worked in a pizza shop, eventually working in a salad factory before doing my military service, where I eventually ended up, as my journey guided, at the Culinary School in Elandsfontein in Pretoria. I loved the routine and discipline in the army as much as I hated the institution.
The next year, I joined another institution with rules, The Wits Hotel School in Smith Street, Braamfontein. By this time, my rebellious nature clashed with the history and tradition. I just wanted to cook. I wanted to be like MPW.
Taking opportunities when no one else wants them, defines a journey.
This journey is special, as it is carved with so many victories that only you would know. It is personal.
I was fortunate to win a gold medal at the Culinary Olympics in 2008, the same year I was awarded Dine Chef of the Year, later in 2012 Sunday Times Chef of the Year, and in 2022 I was awarded a long-time achievement award by Eat Out.
