Giles Edwards didn’t dream of being a chef when he grew up, but one chance meal at London’s revered St John changed all that. All we can say is, lucky for us.

In late 2016, Giles opened La Tête in Cape Town and immediately made waves. He championed a nose-to-tail philosophy and used 5th quarter cuts that are often destined for a can of bully beef. Giles encouraged diners to get away from their clean-cut sirloins and dive into tasty tails, crispy ears and tender hearts.

It’s a well-known fact that in days gone by, offal was set aside for the upper echelons due to its flavour and nutritional value but somewhere along the way that got reversed. While the foundation of La Tête is grounded in this philosophy, Giles is also about making really tasty food. So, whether it’s tripe, trotters or t-bone, it’s going to be packed with layers of complex flavour and skill.

The story of how Giles became a chef is not the quick flash-in-the-pan kinda story, but more of a boil-the-tripe-for-many-hours one. He applied for a position at St John in London five times before he actually got in and then started from the bottom with everything to learn. It took steely determination, tenacity and a very thick skin to make it happen. We find out more.

Your story of dogged determination to work at St John in London is impressive, most people would have given up long before the 5th try. What drove you?

Giles Edwards: People ask kids and especially teenagers, what it is they want to “be” when they grow up, and I presume there are those that know and those that don’t. I didn’t. Although I always thought I would want to be a game ranger, I never really knew.

After my first year at UCT, I went to London to live with my brother James for 3 months to blow off some steam. I hadn’t taken a gap year and quite honestly, my enrollment at UCT was just something to do and keep the questions at bay.

At the end of my working vacation, James, disgusted that all I had done was eat Burger King and drink Fosters, insisted on taking me out for a proper London experience – dinner at St John. Begrudgingly I accepted and off we went.

I had no idea who Fergus Henderson was or what I was even in for. However, I remember sitting at the table thinking that this was somewhere that I would like to work. There was a passion about the restaurant and the people who worked there that just seemed to resonate with me.

I returned to Cape Town, dropped out and within 2-years I was back in London with a chefs diploma to my name, determined to work at St John. I think I was so fixated on it that I had no other option but to work there. I still had no idea who Fergus Henderson even was.

Can you pinpoint exactly what it was about your first meal at St John that cemented your relationship with this style of cooking, or what about it made you want to know more?

Giles Edwards: I remember the evening well, until a point. We had a pint of Guinness at the bar downstairs (my first Guinness) followed by dinner upstairs. I ate back to back hearts, starting with duck and then ox, while James insisted I try the bone marrow. We finished off with Eccles cake and Fernet-Branca.

The food was good, but as I said, it was the entire theatre of the restaurant. I had never seen anything of the sort. It was as if we were part of a play and that is what captivated me.

Have you ever asked your brother why he picked St John as the restaurant to take you for your last London meal?

Giles Edwards: No, but I know why. It was his absolute favourite. So quintessentially British, and so amazingly good. My father and him would always have dinner there when he visited and I think he just wanted to show me… and maybe eat some bone marrow!

Before you chose this career you were studying something completely different at UCT; did cooking ever feature in your life before that meal at St John?

Giles Edwards: Throughout my life food has been at the centre of our family. My father was fixated with the “dinner table” and the whole family having lunch or dinner together. Friends and family were welcomed with good food and wine, and he just loved holding court at the table and could talk for hours.

So, I think because of this, food and cooking came naturally to me and I would always help out in the preparations. I did a Thai cooking class when I was in matric which seemed a little strange but I asked my mother if I could and she said yes.

You obviously learnt a great deal from Fergus Henderson, is there a standout memory/lesson?

Giles Edwards: I remember making tripe for the first time. I didn’t like it then, so I suppose my heart wasn’t quite in the dish. It was rushed and Fergus didn’t like it. He explained that you had to appreciate everything that you did and if you didn’t like it, or you don’t have enough time, then better not do it. At the end of my 5 years at St. John I absolutely loved tripe, and I think the finest and last thing I ever cooked before leaving was tripe and onions.

The concept of nose-to-tail at its core is about minimising wastage and respecting the animal that has given its life; is this a methodology that filters through the rest of the kitchen?

Giles Edwards: Definitely, La Tête is about sustainability. I like to use everything and offal is just one example. I think our focus on vegetables and fish is equally important. Especially vegetables.

In many cultures, this way of eating is completely the norm and there is nothing ‘adventurous’ about it. Why do you think discarding so much of an animal became acceptable?

Giles Edwards: It’s very hard to say. Africa as a whole is the largest consumer of the 5th quarter, however, it just doesn’t seem to be prevalent in the restaurant industry.

There are certain menu items that are going to be polarising for less adventurous diners; do you see people pushing their boundaries with your menu?

Giles Edwards: All the time, even with the vegetarian dishes. If someone feels it’s a challenge to come to the restaurant, yet they have made it and are sitting there looking at the menu, then they almost feel compelled to try something hearty.

It’s great to see people pushing their boundaries; my waiters are very informed and are able to guide and help out where necessary. Food must taste good, especially simple food, so I think you could order anything at La Tête and you would like some aspect of it.

La Tête has been open for about 18 months now; in the beginning, it must have been quite nerve-wracking to be one of the first to really champion this style of eating. Did it ever give you sleepless nights or did you have faith that the Cape Town market would embrace it?

Giles Edwards: Quite honestly, I think I was living in cuckoo land. If I look back now and recall what we have done and achieved just to be here now, it’s madness.

Is there a dish on the menu that you consider a signature of the restaurant or of you?

Giles Edwards: It’s hard to say, everyone has their favourites but I would think it would be the mussels, leeks and bacon. It’s a goodie.

We’ve heard the term root to shoot also being used with regards to your menu and that you cater to vegan diners with prior arrangement. Can you tell us a bit about this?

Giles Edwards: Fergus championed nose to tail, but more than that it was a sustainable way of eating an entire beast. This became my food philosophy as it were, sustainability, and this is at the core of La Tête. I believe very strongly that we need to focus on eating everything, especially vegetables.

I work a lot with local veg farmers and distributors like Abalimi and the OZCF  to get the best locally sourced fruit and veg. This then takes pride of place in dishes such as Broccoli Vinaigrette, Aubergine, Crème Fraiche & Parsley and Green Beans & Pickled Chicken of the Woods.

On any given day you will find a very good selection of vegetarian options, not because they are vegetarian, but because they are good, in-season products that are amazing and should be eaten at the time. Like my meat and fish, I know where it all comes from and that it is grown properly and well.

Quickfire Questions

3 essential ingredients that you can’t live without in your kitchen? Shallots, thyme and garlic.

Your favourite restaurant in Cape Town (aside from your own that’s is)? This is tricky because there are so many good and new ones. I did however recently eat at Chefs Warehouse in Bree street, under the new head chef Nanda’s command, and thought it to be outstanding.

Most expensive recent purchase… My Garland 6 burner gas stove. It was the only thing that I insisted to James I must have and it is the backbone of my kitchen.

Person dead or alive that you’d most like to sit down with and share a meal with… My father. He loved St John as much as I do, yet never got to see me achieve my goal. I think he would like La Tête.

You can only save one kitchen tool/item in a time capsule to be opened in 50 years time…what is it… My beige and orange Moulinex coffee grinder I inherited from my mother.

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