To be a chef, you must have a tenacious personality because the industry is a demanding one that requires a high level of commitment and effort if you want to succeed. It is a creative craft and you must be able to take criticism. The hours are long and the environment is hot, fast and noisy, but the rewards are high as you climb the ranks.

I am grateful that I was taught by respected industry chefs Garth Stroebel and Paul Hartmann, who stood at the work counter with me. Their commitment to my success continues to this day. The repetition and drills of the basics have given me an excellent platform from which to build my repertoire and career.

GREEN FIG PRESERVE

I love green fig preserve. This recipe was taught to me by one of my mentors at college, chef Hartmann. I cook a ton of figs every season.

Ingredients:

10ml (2 tsp) slaked lime

1kg figs, rinsed and pricked

1kg sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2.5ml ( tsp) cream of tartar

Method:

Dissolve the lime in two litres of water and soak the figs in this overnight. Remove the stalks from the figs and rinse in cold water. In a large pot, dissolve the sugar in 1.5 litres water and slowly bring to the boil. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and the cream of tartar. Add the figs and boil gently until figs are translucent and the syrup is amber in colour. Bottle in sterilised jars.