Cape Town's Effect on a Culinary Mind

There's something about Cape Town which teases the senses, awakens elements of nature & creation. Perhaps it's in the air or the water or maybe even in the captivating light shows we get at sunset. Not sure, but it exists & this effect seeps its way onto thousands, if not millions of plates everyday.

Most of my career has been spent in CT and surrounds, I have left for one venture or another but always, almost inexplicably, I find myself back. My first outing in the domain of a professional cook was on a renowned vineyard & I remember falling out of bed at 4am, normally an hour two after going to sleep (I was Younger then), driving through almost empty roads, turning onto the cobbled driveway that winded its way between the vineyards.

Stepping out of the car, my senses were set alight. The night sky fading on the horizon, the horrible yet still fondly remembered smells that linger around the winery, the odd sensation of standing on a slope, surrounded by more slopes, my subconscious soaked it all in. By the time I got into the kitchen, my mind just wanted to create, to smell more, to taste.

The best cure for any hangover was simply getting to work!

I didn't realise it at the time, but something was having a life altering effect on the way I would develop in the coming years. It only dawned on me a few months back when we arrived back here after being in the Garden Route for 6 years. A returning rush of memory tainted sensations punched me deep in the gut, almost as if my senses were home.

Now, waking up a while before Sunrise, stepping out into the morning chill with a mug of black coffee and taking it all in is a fundamental part of every day. I'm almost instantly readied for my day. My thoughts quickly sharpen, ingredients start flowing through my thoughts with varying degrees of vigour, my mental diary for the day snaps itself into existence. I am then ready for anything and anything happens mostly! Yet through it all, I spend my days navigating this culinary adventure of mine always glancing back at the way the sunlight is touching the leaves of that tree, or taking a deep breath of someone's cooking & smiling...they added enough seasoning. That cyclist with the Heidleberg in the far distance.....its truly special this place.

This same sensory refreshment makes one want to hold that apple a moment longer, take more time filleting that fresh Yellowtail, or stop on the side of the road just to grab a bunch of Lavender. It makes you really want to get to know your guests and their pallet or turn a simple dinner into a night of dining extravagance!

The Cape Town effect makes one want to spend more time experiencing everything around you more and more, lavishing in the intoxication of being alive, whatever that means to you, dance more, surf more, create more, design more. Take in more Cape Town, its wholely positive & greatly seductive and there is no where else I would rather be a Chef.