From the Beginning

Im a Chef by trade and have had the honor working in many Restaurants and Hotels around the world. I am a first generation Chef. I learned the passion for food when I was a child from my Parents who loved to cook! I loved to bake bread with my dad.

Sour Dough Rye Bread:

White Flour 290g

Rye Flour 290g

Water about 400ml

Yeast 50g

Spices - Caraway, Aniseeds, Coriander, Salt 15ml

Mix the flower, make a hole, place the yeast, molasses or brown sugar plus half the warm water. Let the lot
ferment, then mix with the machine to a dough, that finally does not stick to the fingers. If too wet I add flower. Placed the dough in the mold, cover it with a towel and let it rise. Then turn it onto a greased tray and
bake it at 210 degree for 45 min. and switch he oven off but leave the loaf for another 10 minutes.

 At the age of 12 I made my first Chocolate Soufflé .... and knock on wood not one flop to this day... and I was hooked. In High School holidays I started to work in the Royal Hotel in Durban. This was to see if I was made for this Industry. I started as a Dish wash and doing all the Shitty jobs. But you know I still loved to be there. On the days off I used to work in the Pastry Kitchen were I got more love for the Desserts.
After Finishing High School I went to the Institute of Culinary Arts and Studied for 2 Years. Were I was failed in my Final Exam because the Principal had an issue with me because I was good and she just could not deal with that. I made a Final Diner menu:

Pan fried Foie Gras served with Fanned Poached baby Pear and Champaign Jelly

Trio of Pepper Mousse (Red, Green and Yellow)

Pineapple Sorbet served on a Chocolate Spoon

Trio of Fillet ( Individual Fillet Florida, Mignon and Carpet Bagger)

Mango Sorbet on a Chocolate Spoon

Trio of Cream Cheese ( Dumplings, Pancake and Mousse)

This was a menu compiled by a Student who wanted to show as much as he could in one Sitting. The food was all well proportioned and the other 10 guests were overwhelmed by my capabilities! So After finding out that I had failed I went to the Opposing team and they thought I was more than qualified and gave me my Chef Diploma.

Well that’s all in the past but it was the foundation of what I was out to prove that I was a Chef and could learn as much as I could possibly learn in one decade. This decade took me on travels that I could never imagine possible. I traveled to Austria were I worked in a five star Hotel, Bio Hotel Stanglwirt. www.stanglwirt.at. Wow what a place, all made in wood and all the stars go there so its a high profile place. I worked there for one year learning the Pastry Kitchen and how to push out high quality food to hundreds of guests.

I also learned how to work fast and accurate which is quite an important trait to have in this industry. Stanglwirt is a Hotel and Restaurant with real Austrian Style food. The classic Vienna Schnitzel to Slow Roasted Pork Neck.

Classic Vienna Schnizel:

Veal Loin

Eggs

Flour

Bread Crumbs

Butter

Cut the veal loin, butterfly style and tenderize. Pane the schnitzel.

In a thin steel pan place a big knob of butter and slowly fry the schnitzel on both sides till golden brown. Serve with Parley potatoes and Cranberry jelly.

I then moved on to a Michelin Restaurant were I helped out for four weeks in Graz.

Working in a Michelin Restaurant was a really an experience to learn how to work with precision and perfection. I worked the Starter and Dessert section.

Sour Milk Herring Terrine with a Apple and Beetroot Vinaigrette:

Terrine: Herrings

                        Sour Milk 250ml

                        Gelatin 2 leaves

                        Seasoning

Mix the Sour Milk with the seasoning and the Gelatin. In the terrine mold fill the mold to half and place in the herrings. Fill the mold with the rest of the sour milk and place onto the refrigerator to set.

Brunois the apples and the beetroot mix with a vinaigrette and serve with a Lola Rosa, Rose.

 

   

I then got the Job as Sous Chef in Sport Hotel Austria in St Johann in Tirol were I also spent one year. Here I learned allot about ordering and how to refresh food..

My two years I spent in Austria were a great learning experience because I could fly to different places on holiday. I wanted to see the world but never as a tourist always as a local. I spent Weekends in London, Days off in Hungry, a hop to Switzerland and go wherever I felt like going. This to me was the best drug in the world. Traveling taught me how to be myself and everybody ells. The only disadvantage to all this is that you end up loosing who you really are but u can be anything you really want to be. I could walk through a strange city looking like I’ve been there all my life.

 
In my holidays to South Africa a friend of my mothers was opening a Restaurant called Tiffany's. They needed some advice in the running of a Restaurant so I helped and made sure there grand opening was amazing. They asked me to finish my season in Austria and come run the Restaurant with a percentage of the ownership. Which I accepted, seeing this is what every Chef wants in there career. So I finished my season in Austria and returned to South Africa to run this Restaurant. It was a great opportunity which I took on. I made my own menu and loved to prepare it. I made something for everyone. I had a menu for the hungry, fine dining, vegetarian and kids.