The Test Kitchen came 28th in The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2015 awards. What does it mean being the best chef in Africa? It means managing a problem, which is not nice. We are invariably giving bad news every day. We get 400 e-mails a day and we keep having to say, "Sorry we are full." We have opened reservations for 2016 already.Why did you rise 20 spots from last year's position?In the last year we have concentrated on streamlining the performance , the food, the service, the wine and the process .The South African culinary scene is also making a name on the global scene.What trends are you aware of at the moment?There's a general progression at the moment to make things more organic, use earthier plates, simplify the presentation, and cook with natural things like wood or barbeque.Feelings on the smear?I think the smear is dead. A couple of years ago my wife said to me I needed to stop doing that and use stencils.What is your first memory of food?I remember the first time I tasted two unlikely things at the same time and thought they were brilliant.I must have been under eight years old and I put Marmite on my toast and there must have been some honey left on the knife.I vividly remember tasting the two things together, the sweetness of the honey and the saltiness of the Marmite, and thinking, "wow that works, that's a really good combination".Did you grow up in a foodie household? Your mom?She's a great cook. We had a big garden growing up, they were sort of alternative; I grew up with my parents making their own breads and their own yoghurt.What keeps you cooking?For as long as I'm enjoying it and having fun, I will keep doing it. The creative process of working on new stuff and new menus is a great feeling of achievement and never loses its novelty for me.What about the pressure? Your creativity is now under such scrutiny.Yeah, it does sometimes interfere with the creativity, but working as a team helps because we level each other out.Where do you eat outside of your own restaurants?Chefs Warehouse, obviously. I like Jordan and Overture.I get a coffee from Espresso Lab, and Carne in Constantia is my favourite one.Even Tashas with the family is good.What music do you listen to?I drift off into food fantasies listening to The XX, an indie band. But on the flip side I listen to Kanye West, Eminem, and at parties we'll put on David Guetta.Alternative career?I thought I'd be a stock broker or an antique dealer, but luckily I have been cooking professionally since 17.Where do you go for weekends?Elands Bay is a great spot for surfing, Wellington is beautiful and silent.How do you rejuvenate?Surfing. It's a brain exercise. The sea is great, it grounds you and clears the mind.How do you judge if someone will be a good cook?How fast a person walks. They need to be a bit fidgety, have that itchy, ants-in-their-pants kind of demeanour and a busy mind.The Test Kitchen at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, came 28th in the S.Pellegrino The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards, announced last week. His new restaurant, Naturalis, also in Woodstock, will open soon..