{"id":22746,"date":"2016-02-08T04:12:09","date_gmt":"2016-02-08T04:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/?p=22746"},"modified":"2016-02-09T12:11:43","modified_gmt":"2016-02-09T12:11:43","slug":"chatting-to-chef-dennis-at-haute-cabriere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/chatting-to-chef-dennis-at-haute-cabriere\/","title":{"rendered":"Chatting to Chef Dennis Strydom at Haute Cabri\u00e8re"},"content":{"rendered":"

Haute Cabri\u00e8re is well known for its lovely wines, bubbly and beautiful location at the foot of the Franschhoek pass. It is a great place to visit in the valley and to enjoy stylish cuisine. We caught up with chef Dennis Strydom to find out a little bit more about his food philosophy, what is happening on the menu for the upcoming day of love in February. Make your reservations<\/a><\/strong> now!<\/p>\n

Tell us a bit about your background and your journey to becoming Executive Chef at Haute Cabri\u00e8re…<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I grew up in a small town called Joubertina on the R62 between Port Elizabeth and Oudtshoorn. After finishing one year in the military, I started as a chef trainee in the kitchen of the Colony Restaurant in Oudtshoorn, under the watchful eye of owner Ferda Barrow (owner of Le Lude wine farm in Franschhoek). In the following year I moved to her 5-star guesthouse, Rosenhof Country House also in Oudtshoorn, after which a few stints followed namely at Blaauwbosch Private Game Reserve under Head Chef, Judy- Lee Thompson and then at St Francis Links Golf Estate where I became a Junior Sous Chef, honing my skills under Chef Bradley Castle.<\/p>\n

I received my break in 2010 when I was appointed Sous Chef at Olivello Restaurant under the tutelage of legendary aunties Lynne and Laurille, who also once owned Caf\u00e9 Paradiso in Kloof Street, Cape town. They shared their passion with me, broadening my repertoire with things like jam and cheesemaking.<\/p>\n

After Olivello I had a short stint in Jeffrey\u2019s Bay and one more in the Winelands, before being given the incredible opportunity of heading up the kitchen at Haute Cabri\u00e8re Cellar Restaurant.<\/p>\n

\"Haute_Cabriere_Views\"
\nHaute Cabri\u00e8re is positioned in one of the richest areas in the country in terms of produce \u2013 how does this influence your menu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the one thing that I try to accomplish in my cooking is to be honest. If I am going to serve you something I would like it\u00a0to be best possible representation of that ingredient that I can produce. The thought that comes to mind is ‘always fresh, as local as possible, ingredients treated with respect’. <\/em>I don\u2019t like to camouflage food with a lot of bells and whistles, if it\u2019s a really nice ripe plum tomato, it needs to be just that \u2013 a tomato, just add basil pesto, seasoning and some Fior di latte Mozzarella.<\/p>\n

\"Haute-Cabriere
\nIs there an ingredient or a cooking trend that really excites you at the moment?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We are currently playing around with some cheese inspired dessert tasting courses, to the extent that we have now produced an incredibly well-received blue cheese and green fig ice cream. My pastry chef is also working on a Parmesan ice cream. So I would say cheese is my thing at moment\u2026<\/p>\n

Is there something that you are passionate about that you have brought into the kitchen, or just perhaps like doing in your spare time?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

During my time at Olivello I was taught spice blending by Lynne and Laurille. I must say, that has stood by me; I love blending my own spices, as well as making the ones they taught me. These have become a cornerstone of the way and the type of food I cook.<\/p>\n

What should guest expect from the menu at Haute Cabri\u00e8re?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Relaxed, easy dining, approachable, big flavours, the type of food you could come out once a week to enjoy.<\/p>\n

Being quintessentially French, Franschhoek is a destination for loved up couples come February. \u00a0Are you cooking up something special?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Yes, we’ll be making a\u00a0romantically inspired 3 or 6 course lunch tasting menu created exclusively for the occasion. The textures and flavours have been designed to complement the wine served with each course. When guests arrive they’ll be treated to a\u00a0complimentary glass of Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose and can enjoy the\u00a0\u00a0sounds of a\u00a0live soloist who will be providing romantic background tunes.<\/p>\n

Lunch reservations are essential, so get in touch with our bookings team to reserve a place. Email\u00a0restaurant@cabriere.co.za<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or call 021 876 3688.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Haute_Cabriere_Views\"
\n\"Haute<\/p>\n

\n

Getting to know Chef Dennis a little better…<\/h4>\n

Quickfire Questions
\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Drink to unwind at the end of a tough shift\u2026<\/strong> Jack Daniels on ice with a shot of fresh lime or cordial.
\nFavourite go-to spot to chill\u2026<\/strong> Cape town. Walking the streets, just love the history around me and of course Eastern food bazaar.
\nSecret food indulgence…<\/strong> probably no secret to those who know me\u2026 chocolate, good ice cream and coffee.
\nFoodie destination on your bucket list…<\/strong> a Heston Blumenthal Restaurant.<\/p>\n

Word Association\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Beer…\u00a0<\/strong>biltong
\nHeston Blumenthal… <\/strong>great!
\nKimchi…\u00a0<\/strong>yum
\nSummer…\u00a0<\/strong>where is that beer?
\n<\/strong>Italy… <\/strong>fresh
\n<\/strong>Valentines\u2026 <\/strong>strawberries<\/p>\n

\"Haute-Cariere\"<\/p>\n

Don’t miss out on this romantically inspired Valentine celebration with one of our favourite wine estates and Chef Dennis’ specially designed menu. A Sunday afternoon to remember. Get in touch with the Haute Cabri\u00e8re\u00a0booking team to reserve a place. Email\u00a0restaurant@cabriere.co.za<\/a>\u00a0or call 021 876 3688.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Haute Cabri\u00e8re is well known for its lovely wines, bubbly and beautiful location at the foot of the Franschhoek pass. It is a great place to visit in the valley and to enjoy stylish cuisine. We caught up with chef Dennis Strydom to find out a little bit more about his food philosophy, what is happening on the menu for the upcoming day of love in February. Make your reservations now! Tell us a bit about your background and your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"brand_slug":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22746\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test10.co.za\/C\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}