community
community
– flavours, textures, temperatures, and more. “At Singita, we use flavours and elements from South Africa and other parts of Africa to showcase our diverse cultures, while still keeping up to date with modern techniques,” says Ndileka. Balance applies to how you create as well as what you create in the kitchen. Mohun acknowledges that in order to support her kitchen team, she needs to remember to ask for support in return and communicate when things feel out of control. Championing collaboration: Teamwork creates harmony in a busy restaurant as it keeps the cogs of nature turning. Knowing you can’t do it all yourself and have to rely on others is one of the greatest lessons that both kitchens and the wilderness can teach. The best results come from the chemistry of collaboration and the recognition that we are all part of something greater. Long-time hospitality veteran and former head chef at Ebony, Lerato Molaudi, said it well when she said, “Humility is important – one person can’t do everything in a kitchen.” Mohun feels that the ‘spark’ of passion is kept
alive by creating new sparks with your team. As Head Chef, she loves to see growth but also recognises that everyone has a part to play. “I lean on the team that I work with as much as they lean on me. Watching them work together and uplift each other and constantly want to push the bar higher is extremely rewarding.” Celebrating simplicity: A thing doesn’t always have to be convoluted or complicated to be good. In nature, sometimes the simplest things are the most remarkable. And in the kitchen, when you’re working with beautiful, fresh, seasonal ingredients, the less you do to them, the better. Lerato once noted that, “Food is not meant to be complicated, you just have to live in flavour town.” Ndileka similarly comments that one of her favourite dishes to prepare will always be fish, due to the delicacy of its flavour. “The lightness allows for a lot of room to play with other flavours to help enhance its simplicity.” In nature, we notice that beautiful things don’t ask or draw attention to themselves. They simply exist for us to observe and appreciate. The finest dishes and creations are no different.
Above Fresh produce from farmer David Shilabi – and others – allow us to work in step with the seasons.
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