CUISINE
What do you imagine the life of a chef to be? In a blog, Australian ‘steak maestro’ Chris Wade said one should be forgiven for picturing chefs as “sweaty, angry, tired, untrustworthy, uncivilised, not socially trained” types tucked into ornate kitchens in top hospitality outlets. Wade may have described the chef of a bygone era. Today's chef is more outgoing and will practise his or her craft in front of diners, thanks to the open-kitchen setup in many urban eateries. True, pressure exists in the kitchen to ensure every plate going out is perfect. According to Wade, “It's a passive-aggressive paradise… There is a constant stream of runners too scared to say anything except “Yes chef!” In Africa, that pressure to excel has produced another crop of chefs who are no longer content with curating local menus for international guests. They are taking the battle internationally by crafting mouthwatering foreign cuisine that has become a hit with the local population as well. From
