Acclaimed SA chefs to follow on social media for five-star food inspiration
Some of the country's most decorated chefs have been sharing recipes, tips and kitchen hacks during lockdown
A host of the country's most decorated chefs have been popping up all over social media to whet the palates of their followers during these trying times.
Some are posting recipes, others simple kitchen hacks, while a few are going all-out with at-home cooking demos.
Here are a few of the best for follow for five-star food inspiration:
1. LUKE DALE ROBERTS
The renowned chef patron of The Test Kitchen — which ranked 44th on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019 — is notoriously scarce on social media. That's why followers of his Cape Town eatery's Instagram account were pleasantly surprised when he announced he’d be doing a page takeover.
Dale Roberts as taken to the Gram with a series of quick and easy recipes, as well as live workout sessions with his personal trainer. The latter is probably a good idea if you’ll be indulging in the likes of BBQ bananas with salted caramel sauce or beef dripping fried eggs.
Follow: @thetestkitchenct
2. DAVID HIGGS
The chef behind Joburg hotspots Marble and Saint has certainly been keeping busy on Instagram.
He kicked off with his #WhatsInYourFridge challenge. For this, he asked followers to snap photos of the contents of their fridges, which he then used to make suggestions of what they should cook for dinner.
Next it was #HiggsOnHisEggs, where the My Kitchen Rules SA judge gave step-by-step instructions for making the perfect omelette, as well as fried and poached eggs.
Since then, he’s taken things to the next level with insta-cooking demos preparing the likes of “Asiany salmon and prawn brof” (broth), “salmon seviche” (ceviche) and haddock mac and cheese.
Follow: @davidhiggschef
3. BERTUS BASSON
Basson is the award-winning chef behind Stellenbosch's fine-dining restaurants Eike and Overture, as well as the more casual eateries Spek & Bone and De Vrije Burger. With all four closed due to lockdown restrictions, he's been keeping busy by filming a series of cooking demos for his Instagram followers.
The series provides a picturesque glimpse into the chef’s home and garden, which features a menagerie and a vegetable patch - he often cooks with produce straight from his backyard. There are also cameos from his wife Marlie and son Theodore.
Head on over to Gram to get his tips for cooking fillet, roast fish and the perfect cheese burger, as well as to learn how to bake a decadent chocolate fondant cake. While you're there, you'll also "meet" the family pig Spek and boxer Bone — the namesakes for Basson's Dorp Street restaurant.
Follow: @bertusbasson
4. CHANTEL DARTNALL
Dartnall, the acclaimed chef at Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient in Pretoria, has invited the world into her kitchen via her video cooking demos on social media.
AND THE SECRET IS OUT ! There isn't a service that goes by where I don't get a request to share my recipe for the...
Posted by Chantel Dartnall on Monday, April 13, 2020
Head on over to her Facebook page to find out the secret to extending the shelf life of avocados, tips for flipping pancakes, as well as the recipe for her granny’s banana bread and her legendary cauliflower soup — a dish she jokes she's going to have to take off her restaurant menu "as your version is probably going to be more delicious than mine".
Follow: @ChantelDartnallOfficial
5. JACKIE CAMERON
The top chef and principal of the Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine in KwaZulu-Natal has been dishing out some of the best recipes from her cookbooks, Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home and Baking with Jackie Cameron.
If you’re looking to make rusks, kid-friendly crystallised sugar cupcakes or crunchy corn fritters, check out her Instagram feed.
The mom-to-be has also included some fun, candid kitchen shots of her teaching her husband to bake during lockdown.
Follow: @jackiecameronincolour
• This article is adapted from one originally published on Wanted Online. Visit wantedonline.co.za for all the latest in luxury lifestyle news.