Inspired by the core memoir of my culinary journey, surrounded by amazing people from around the world in Middle East, which is a melting pot of culture region, where the aromas, flavors, and tradition come together, create a dynamic culinary scene as it is now. I carry the essence of my roots, to honor where i come from and staying true what i come here for. From my signature dish, i want to educate my guest how important to practicing sustainability. Because, small things can make different...

Coming from the Northern Cape, the braai is often seen as the place for a man. From a young age I was by my father's side, learning how to master the fire. Later, I would always host the braai, ready to cook the meat while frowning male faces were ready to save me from the 'burden' of yielding the grid. This dish represents how my love for the braai has only grown, celebrating women's ability to tame the flames, along with my passion of showcasing my heritage and enjoyment of local ingredients.

This dish comes from a memory from my chilhood:''anatra all'arancia'' (orange duck) from my grandmother, she's the one that made me fall in love with cooking. very important dish for me, i tried to use all the skills that i learnt during my years in the kitchen, but always trying to bring forward all the flavors that reminds me of my country and most importantly who gave me the inspiration for it. With this dish i want to express what you can achieve with cooking: create an emotion.

The Middle East epitomizes cultural fusion and rich histories, evident in its vibrant bazaars and diverse culinary heritage. Families and friends unite around tables adorned with delectable dishes, sharing laughter and tales. Amidst deserts and seas, hospitality and tolerance prevail, weaving a tapestry of unity amidst diversity.

Duck and chouchou were often served at my parents' dinner table, thanks to our vegetable garden and our farmyard. In this recipe, made with home-grown produce, I present a simple and generous simple, generous cuisine where vegetables and meat, in a rather classic interpretation have equal importance on the plate. Working with a product in its entirety using a variety of techniques is part of my culinary identity, while at the same time highlighting the local flavours of the Hauts de La Réunion region.

My food journey began as a child in my mother’s kitchen, as the youngest of five it was always my responsibility to help cook. My mother loves sweet potato and could tell just from taste and texture when it was harvested. I’ve taken this humble root and paired it with duck, poultry which to me is symbolic of fine dining and what I’ve learnt in the industry – especially butchering - which I’ve cooked along with the wild foraged matangulu, paying homage to Chef Johannes who has taught me so much.

This dish reflects my personal and culinary journey, from childhood memories in eastern France to Réunion, the tropical island in the Indian Ocean that has welcomed me since 2009. I'm keen to bring together on the plate the riches of tradition, the fishing I do and the smoking techniques I discovered on Réunion. Rhubarb is ‘my Proust's madeleine’, reminding me of my grandmother's pies. Every bite of this dish tells my story, combining tradition, creativity and sharing.

This dish is an extension of who I am. It shows how I think about food. The flavours are more-ish, there is a balance of textures and flavours, the presentation is unassuming and organic. It's a harmonious balance between man and nature. Eating what the land has to offer. Plant based meals have been at the forefront of the conversation within the industry for a while now, you'd have to be ignorant to ignore the importance of highlighting the beauty of vegetables.

Our Saturday dinners always included a braai. These meals, my happiest moments, were filled with love, laughter and of course good food. My favourite of which was the skilpadjie - lamb liver wrapped in caul fat, served with pap & chakalaka. It’s a dish which takes the humble offal and makes it, in my opinion, the star of the meal. I have recreated and elevated it, as a way to celebrate my Afrikaans heritage, upbringing and culinary traditions.

The ritual of sacrifice is a sacred part of ancient India's culture and heredity. The lesser known Dravidians who were farmers and soldiers, who were part of the kingdom performed these prayers which included sacrifices of live stock namely goat. This goat after being sacrificed becomes the main ingredient for that day's meal. Every part of this meat was used to the nourishment of the fellow villagers who attended the prayers and the rituals.

80% of marine pollution is due to plastics and microplastics, hence the idea of ​​proposing this dish with edible plastic. Just as Alberto Burri burned plastic to create his art, I burn the fake film of beetroot placed on a fillet of wild, natural and sustainable Black Cod which with its flavor envelops the sweetness of the sweetbread, an ingredient dear to me that is part of my education and my memory. with the acidity of the beetroot and verjus sauce which as a whole hides a play of opposites.

This dish expresses the versatility of one of my favorite vegetables, the celeriac, using every part of it in 4 different ways, without waste any. It's an earthy dish that wanna bring you in the woods during the autumn season.

I am sharing the story of the first traces of humankind through the art of culinary expression. This dish is a tribute to the women of the Khoi-Khoin the Taras whose footprints lie deep in the Southern Coast. Her pure shell jewellery strings around her neck as she heals her family with every meal. I would like to convey the unique diversity of South African Indigenous healing plants. The origin of flavour. By sharing the story of our ecosystems, we could create unity through food in our country.

I'm presenting a modern twist on a traditional Egyptian breakfast, a staple eaten by nearly all Egyptians but largely unknown outside the country. This dish represents years of my life and is easily accessible to people from all walks of life due to its affordability . As a nod to my childhood memories of bustling vendors, I've decided to elevate this vegetarian dish with my own presentation, texture, and cooking techniques while staying true to its traditional flavor.

During my visit to Egypt, I was welcomed into my friend's family celebration of Eid. Grateful for their hospitality, I offered to cook the dinner to discover their tradition of sacrificing a lamb for the festival. I felt a deep respect for their customs. My dish is inspired by that experience, so I wanted to do a dish where I use the whole animal. Each ingredient, spice, and technique is a tribute to the love and generosity they showed me during that unforgettable time in Egypt.

I wanted to create a dish that can live on a high class fine dining menu, made with “cheap”, attainable, everyday ingredients that I grew up eating at least once a week. It is so important to remember that knowledge, skill and technique counts for so much, a roast potato, a soft boiled egg and an average plate of pasta have so much potential if you know how to work with them.

The dish itself express completely south eastern turkish cuisine where the people eats lamb, mix spices and local carbs such as barley, chickpea etc. . this dish explain the culture and the life style of people in the region. Handmade clay pot by the Anatolians and raised ships by the shepherds feeded naturally. In this this you will find all the richness of region given by the nature to us. The cooking method absolutely how people use to do many years ago. Slow cooking technique in clay pot.

The power of flavor in simplicity with my love for fusion. Throughout my journey as a chef, I have never really appreciated my own skill because as a chef, you always feel like you can do better. I rather found comfort in how people reacted to my dishes when they ate them and so therefore with this dish, I embrace the produce the earth gives us, I want each and every little component to be felt with every bite for what it is! With this dish I embrace my skills and I appreciate the simplicity.

Without dreams we reach nothing,
Without love we feel nothing
In order to reach your dream,
you need determination, discipline, self-effort
and self-confidence to make your dreams come
I believe that Culinary work is art and love.

I wanted to showcase the authentic Egyptian cuisine, using contemporary twists and techniques to re-imagine traditional components like bessara, dukkah and taro. “It’s simply Egypt on a plate”. Memories of bessara served when meat was scarce, slow cooked lamb as a celebratory feast with families gathering around a floor tray and his grandmother’s taro inspired this dish, which presents taro in sheets and sous vide lamb with textures of dukkah.

Growing up, lamb was, and still is, an expensive commodity. In my home lamb always went hand in hand with a special occasion. The preparation of the lamb dish was always tasked to my grandmother who would always take great care and would never dare leave anything to go to waste. This dish is a tribute to her and how she inspired me to pursue cooking professionally and the special memories we shared, showcasing the skills and techniques I have acquired while being a chef locally, and abroad.
 

I am here to day with spirit of regeneration for future and passion for food. My dish is "Reflection of nature" it is strongly represent who I am, where I come from,and my roots with culinary journey as chef. I work local cultureand usage of domestic produce. This greatly inspire me to explore more of my own home cuisine and interpret it modernly in my own way. wish by the recipes I serve, my folks will support this idea to value our cuisine and be proud of it specially for Future Generation.

just to show everything that I have learned in each country that I have traveled, worked, its food, its culture, its people, so that, like us as a cook, it fills us with experience to create new dishes and in this dish I want to show the mixture of all the techniques and styles, combined with my Peruvian origin.

I really like the lamb in spring time I use to live in London and I still remember the flavor of rhug estate.
I think is a great product.
It was spring time when I decide to do this plate so I decide to use peas.
Also in spring I like the freshness of the product, so peas combine with mint give you a flavour of freshness.

Bobotie is a traditional dish that most South Africans know, especially the Afrikaaners. As with anything, everyone has their own version of it and believe theirs is the only right one. My version is rooted in the dish my mother used to make for us growing up, but through my culinary journey I have found my own interpretation for it, while still holding true to that core memory. I’m presenting it with the memory of having the dish for dinner one night and then on a sandwich for lunch the next.

The history of hunting and gathering food was practised to enable us to meet needs for survival.Terrior determined what grew best across various season and influenced our dining practices.Ingredients were bartered from all over the country yet some remain native to the Indian subcontinent .With a strong marine position, a strategic approach to introduce new world ingredients was conducted in 15th century by Vasco Da Gama.These ingredients are now staple in the Indian cuisine we know.

As, we are from green belt of India. We have abundance of this grain (pearl millet) commonly known as bajra, consumed from decades. This is power packed food having lots of nutritional values, essential amino acids, low cholesterol, carbohydrates, multiple proteins, magnesium,zinc.
This is very nostalgic to me, whenever I used to have this, I just lost in it. Just like a baby gets cotton candy.This is the perfect option for vegetarians to get all nutrients whenever non vegetarian wants to have.

This dish conveys African traditional dishes in a modern way or style, where by sorghum it's the main source our traditional beer dishes so fermentation of it and burning it to make an ash it says alot of smoke and natural flavors involved. The use of kudu its our Afrikaans way of making family barbecue and eating fresh meat with its juices and braai flavors.

The Strandveld ecosystem dish is a representation of the coastline along Southern Africa. The plate is designed by me and handmade by Corinne de Haas from the Potters Gallery in Kleinmond, South Africa. The plate is inspired by a rock at the Cape Agulhas coastline, the most Southern point of Africa. The dish has a variety of indigenous medicinal fynbos plants which grows in this ecosystem.

I want to express South African Terrior!

 

My personal experience has made me believe that life always start at the end of your comfort zone.
Few years ago, I choose to leave my comfort zone in France, in order to travel through Africa and middle east, this has made me the chef I am today.
My signature dish is built around this idea.
I have selected unusual products that will make my guest living, I believe, a unique experience.
As I always lived near by the sea; I choose to build my identity exclusively around seafood.