From Town To Country
The transition from town to country has been seamless for talented David Schneider, head chef and co-owner at one-plated Chefs Warehouse at Maison. Watching him walk through the garden with a chicken under his arm (which he nicknames -tomorrow‘s tapas‘), you could be challenged to see him in another environment. His sense of belonging is evident in his smile, the pleasure etched on his face as he is hard at work ‘in the zone‘ in the open kitchen. When he looks up from the serving area, it is the vineyards and the Franschhoek mountains, bathed in a pink glow, that catch his eye.
David spent his first five years in Cape Town, and grew up in Morningside, Johannesburg. His childhood memories include visits to his uncle‘s trout farm in Machadodorp, where he and his brother enjoyed holidays. Other vivid memories come from bush escapes to the Kruger National Park. ’I would always choose bush over beach,“ he says. ’But beach holidays were spent with family in Durban. Either way, it was important to be in touch with nature.
I want to live in a mountainous area or nature reserve, and am lucky to live in Franschhoek. It’s a responsibility to live here – it’s up to each individual to make the most of this incredible environment.”
Certainly it’s an enviable environment. On the right, before you hit the busiest part of the main road of Franschhoek, Maison wine estate is the home of Chris Weylandt, where stylish yet rustic vineyards and orchards, a cacophony of clucking chickens, and Porcini the friendly pig remind us that this is the heart of the countryside.
The building is welcoming and airy, and sunshine streams in. A tasting of Maison wines is an appropriate start to lunch or dinner at the restaurant, before getting sidetracked by all the deli items, cookery books and upmarket kitchen equipment in the shop. The restaurant at the back of the building takes full advantage of the views, and the city tension ebbs away as we settle at one of the wooden tables to experience David’s passion on a plate.
Mountain biking is another passion, as is trail running - David recently competed in the Infinite Trails World Championships in Austria, with his brother. “My brother Mathew, two years older than
