Your first food memory? Cooking with my mom. I must have been about five-years-old. I would grab raw bacon and eat it. My mom would always say I’m going to get worms.
Who inspires you? Marco Pierre White is a big icon of mine. I would watch videos of him in Harry’s Bar back in the early 90s. I got a lot of inspiration from him, just watching the way he could command his brigade and how his team was so passionate.
What's the most satisfying meal you've made? It’s always simple food. A friend of mine brought fresh crayfish and cob up from Durban that he had caught the night before. We put it on the Weber and served it up with pot bread and salads. Never had better seafood.
Your favourite dish on Lucé’s menu? Veal tortellini — cooked with a lot of love and care.
Your most memorable patron? I would always have a guest that would come in and request for me to cook for him off the menu. He was a high-roller from the casino and money was never an issue. It allowed us to have no limits and to muster up some pretty awesome food.
Your food philosophy in five words: Cook with love and passion.
Who are the most annoying eaters? Diners that eat their whole meal and then complain. Almost like they want it for free.
Dumbest thing you have ever done in a kitchen? Hahaha, this one is embarrassing: my chef told me to put the short crust pastry that he had just prepared in the fridge and for some unknown reason I put it in the microwave. Guess it always pays off to ask questions. I was the laughing stock for weeks.
A piece of food-related travel advice: Dine where the locals go and eat the food they love, cooked their way.
The hardest dish you’ve tried to master? Can’t say there is one — we get a lot of practice in the kitchens.
What food item would never be seen in your house? Offal: I’m not that into it.
Gareth Jordaan, Southern Sun Hyde Park
Gareth Jordaan, who became executive chef of Southern Sun Hyde Park, in May this year, has serious cooking cred. With three years with Tsogo Sun under his belt, he’s also worked for the Ritz Carlton in Florida, at renowned Italian restaurant Cipriani in Abu Dhabi, and was Soccer City’s sous chef during the 2010 World Cup.
Sophisticated yet unfussy, Jordaan’s Italian-inspired menu at the Southern Sun Hyde Park’s Lucé restaurant goes a long way to demolish hotel food’s reputation for bland unoriginality. Matched with an excellent wine list curated by sommelier Miguel Chan, my favourite dishes include the melt-in-the-mouth salmon with cauliflower purée, grape oil, pine nuts and capers as well as Jordaan’s summery reinvention of the caprese salad, with juicy tomatoes, crisp sage, mushrooms and aged balsamic and basil oil. The absolute highlight? The decadent veal tortellini topped with bone marrow.
Floating high over the city, Lucé’s picture windows overlook Joburg’s leafy northern suburbs. Once you’re done with a leisurely lunch, head over to the hotel’s pool bar for that last tipple while you watch the sun go down. You’d be hard pressed to find a better view of the city.
Your first food memory? Cooking with my mom. I must have been about five-years-old. I would grab raw bacon and eat it. My mom would always say I’m going to get worms.
Who inspires you? Marco Pierre White is a big icon of mine. I would watch videos of him in Harry’s Bar back in the early 90s. I got a lot of inspiration from him, just watching the way he could command his brigade and how his team was so passionate.
What's the most satisfying meal you've made? It’s always simple food. A friend of mine brought fresh crayfish and cob up from Durban that he had caught the night before. We put it on the Weber and served it up with pot bread and salads. Never had better seafood.
Your favourite dish on Lucé’s menu? Veal tortellini — cooked with a lot of love and care.
Your most memorable patron? I would always have a guest that would come in and request for me to cook for him off the menu. He was a high-roller from the casino and money was never an issue. It allowed us to have no limits and to muster up some pretty awesome food.
Your food philosophy in five words: Cook with love and passion.
Who are the most annoying eaters? Diners that eat their whole meal and then complain. Almost like they want it for free.
Dumbest thing you have ever done in a kitchen? Hahaha, this one is embarrassing: my chef told me to put the short crust pastry that he had just prepared in the fridge and for some unknown reason I put it in the microwave. Guess it always pays off to ask questions. I was the laughing stock for weeks.
A piece of food-related travel advice: Dine where the locals go and eat the food they love, cooked their way.
The hardest dish you’ve tried to master? Can’t say there is one — we get a lot of practice in the kitchens.
What food item would never be seen in your house? Offal: I’m not that into it.
November 2016