Chefs

The opportunity paved the way for Claire to become a sought-after celebrity chef on the local foodie scene.After the show, she launched her blog Food is Love and began her journey as food entertainer, which has allowed her to collaborate with all sorts of wonderful businesses, events and people, including The Good Food & Wine Show, Expresso, and Bwell Food to name but a few. Claire is passionate about promoting South African cuisine, she spent three months in the UK in 2018, where she hosted Share a Taste of Home, a pop-up restaurant that inspired adventurous British diners and delighted South African expats to enjoy delicious SA classic dishes.  Her vast experience in working with both local and international brands has provided her with a unique understanding of the culinary landscape . Claire loves fish pie as well battered hake and chips even better if enjoyed in the sun by the sea.

Claire graduated from Christina Martin School of Food and Wine and initially specialised in pastry -­‐ but has now moved to cover the different sections in the kitchen. She has worked at both Fairmont Zimbali in Ballito and Haute Cabriere for two years. Her favourite fish dish to make is pan seared Franschhoek trout.

Born in Cape Town, Constantijn completed a three-­‐year apprenticeship in the south of Devon in the UK – after which he spent a number of years travelling to countries such as France and New Zealand. Now back home in SA, he’s been chef at Hartford for the last year and a half. Throughout his career and even as a young chef, Constantijn has always respected and admired what the SASSI list stands for and uses it as a guideline for his menus.

The Food Barn was created around the idea of bringing fine-dining to the streets. Celebrated chef Franck Dangereux was once the head chef at La Colombe on Constantia Uitsig wine farm, which was voted restaurant of the year six times in the decade he was there, until he bought the old Noordhoek Farmstall on a whim. His food is civilised without being pretentious, and caters to the casual family feel of Noordhoek. All the ingredients are sourced locally, within a maximum of 100km radius of Cape Town.

Geoffrey Murray discovered his passion for cooking at the age of five, when he asked for pots and pans for Christmas. He believes strongly in bridging the world’s farming and food production communities, to protect food cultures and the environment. He draws inspiration from chefs like Magnus Nilsson, who promotes the relationship between nature and food, and Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food International.

Giles Edwards is the co-owner of La Tete with a focus on nose to tail dining. It was under the training of Fergus Henderson that Giles passion for sustainability was ignited. La Tete radiates his passionate for seasonal produce and sustainable meat and seafood, it is about honouring the entire animal and produce minimizing waste. Giles focuses on educating others on what can be done with unique cuts of meat, empowering his staff to educate consumers on what he is trying to achieve with his dishes. Just taste the fish served everyday in La Tete and in every mouthful it easy to see why in one year his skill is the talk of the town. Due to COVID 19, La Tete has closed its doors.

Glen Williams is a born and bred southern suburbs Capetonian. He got his big break at La Colombe at the age 21 when he was made Pastry chef.  This is the move which has set him on a course that has brought him to where he is today. Glen is chef and co-owner at Foxcroft where seasonal perfection is experienced in every bite. It’s no surprise Glen’s passion for the use of sustainable produce shines through. By the way, Foxcroft is Glen’s middle name, not a lot of people know that.

Graham travelled and worked in numerous top establishments in the USA, UK, Bermuda and South America before returning home to Durban with his partner Gina where they would make their mark. It was in 2010 when they took over the 9th Ave Bistro with Graham running the kitchen and Gina in the front of house. Graham made it their goal to create a modern, warm and intimate fine dining experience for their guests. Graham emphasises the importance of high quality seasonal ingredients which are sustainable, striving for perfection with every plate.

Greg is at the helm of the East Head Cafe. He is completely committed to supporting sustainable Knysna initiatives. Greg is fully engaged in dealing with responsible suppliers and using sustainable food options. He grew up on the Kwazulu Natal South coast doubtless contributing to his love of the ocean. He is fully aware of the issues facing sea stocks around the coast of South Africa. In the kitchen Greg likes to keep it simple, fresh and interesting.

Gregory Czarnecki runs an open and transparent kitchen, he has nothing to hide. His menu offers what he calls “fine but not pretentious dining” and he enjoys cooking less popular vegetables, such as beetroot and cabbage. Originally from Burgundy, Gregory spent eighteen years travelling the world and has worked for a three-Michelin Star restaurant with venues in Paris, Belgium, Tunisia, Geneva and Lyon

Gustaaf Boshoff was bitten by the food bug at an early age and his passion drove him to study to become a chef. After graduating from culinary school, he honed his skills in Michelin-starred establishments in Europe. The Green Goose is his homage to showcasing humble dishes but with a fine-dining twist. He opts for sustainability and is very clear with all his suppliers that he wants to source ethical and seasonal ingredients.

At the age of seven, the food markets of Paris made a big impact on this young epicurean. Guy works with seasonally sourced ingredients and local suppliers, including farmers who share his food philosophy. He likes to know where the produce comes from and he needs to know that ethical practices were followed in its journey from sea and farm to plate. His own journey has seen him work with classically trained chefs at Buitenverwachting and at Grande Provence in Franschhoek where he was executive chef. He now runs  at Gorgeous George in central Cape Town.