SA chefs embrace the spirit of collaboration

It’s no secret that the food industry is a competitive space, with each restaurant competing not only for a host of awards and accolades (many of which aren’t worth the time it takes to make the self-aggrandising acceptance speech) but also, and more importantly, for a share of the relatively small audience that makes up our fine-dining clientele.

There are restaurants that prefer to keep their suppliers, producers and artisans secret for fear that other establishments may “steal” their ideas. Then there are those who are more willing to share, helping where they can — whether it be with the contact details of a supplier or pointing someone in the right direction.

As the saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats” and I am excited about the chefs who are embracing collaboration — working with one another, learning from each other, and promoting camaraderie within the industry. While doing so, they offer diners a unique opportunity to see two kitchens at work, together.

The chef who has perhaps embraced this concept to its fullest is Ryan Cole of Salsify at The Roundhouse and the recently opened COY, who, for the second consecutive year, ran a series of Sunday lunches he coined “Salsify & Friends” — inviting fellow chefs into his kitchen to cook up a collaborative menu. This year, he invited Johannes Richter, Kobus van der Merwe, Vusi Ndlovu and Mmabatho Molefe — who was also part of the inaugural series — alongside Luke Dale Roberts, Ivor Jones and Dale Stevens.

“Salsify & Friends” marked the second collaboration of the year for the Durban-based Richter, behind The LivingRoom at Summerhill. He recently cooked alongside Wandile Mabaso at his Johannesburg fine-dining restaurant Les Créatifs for a series of services aptly titled “Roots: Humble Riches”, which celebrated SA ingredients, culture and heritage.

In September, in celebration of Heritage Month, Amori Burger of Upper Union and Monché Muller from the restaurant at Pink Valley Wines will be collaborating on a series of two heritage-inspired wine dinners, all centred on food, wine and flavour.

Muller and her team cooked at Upper Union in Cape Town on September 12, while Burger will be in the kitchen at Pink Valley in Stellenbosch on September 26. The two chefs will be serving up a five-course meal paired with exceptional wines from Taaibosch and Pink Valley.

In October, another exciting collaboration is taking shape in Cape Town as Ivor Jones of Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia joins forces with The Pot Luck Club’s Jason Kosmas for a duo of Sunday lunches.

The collaboration kicks off on October 6, when the two chefs will cook at The Pot Luck Club in Cape Town, with the second lunch taking place on October 20 at Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia.

The menu for both lunches will feature eight family-style sharing dishes, four of which will be unique collaborative dishes by the chefs, along with two dishes each from The Pot Luck Club and Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia archives.

These collaborations, and the many more that will hopefully follow, not only result in incredibly dynamic and interesting meals for guests but also mark a refreshing and exciting change in the industry. They see chefs from different restaurant groups and competing establishments setting aside the competition to embrace the beauty of working together.

Here’s to many more to come.

Reservations for the Pink Valley Wines dinner can be made here: https://www.dineplan.com/restaurants/pink-valley-wines

Reservations for The Pot Luck Club lunch can be made here: https://thepotluckclub.co.za/home/

Reservations for Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia can be made here: https://www.chefswarehouse.co.za/beau-constantia