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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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'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.

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.

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!

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.