FRESH, FLORAL, FLAVOURFUL
Love of nature and passion for food combine in this prize-winning chef’s work
It turns out that we have the world’s best female chef.
Last month South African Chantel Dartnall was given that acknowledgment in Warsaw, where she took the prize at the best chef (lady) awards 2017. She was also the highest-positioned woman in the best chef awards top 100 list, and one of only three to make the top 50. And she was the only SA chef listed in the top 100.
Dartnall started Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient Boutique Hotel in Gauteng 11 years ago. Since then the restaurant (and the food creator herself) has garnered top local awards as well as international ones. Dartnall was twice named SA’S chef of the year.
For the awards in Warsaw winning chefs in six categories are selected by 300 voters, from chefs and food writers to culinary experts from around the world, as well as by 1.5m followers on the competition’s digital platform.
Mosaic is nearly an hour away from Johannesburg, so convenience is out of the equation (though there is a helipad which regularly accommodates out-of-town visitors). There’s also nothing trendy about the place. It’s not about marble and shine and space and vibe, but more about opulence, Art Nouveau, dark wood and calm.
“We didn’t just want a restaurant, we wanted people to be able to escape from [their environment] even if it was only for four hours, to recharge and rejuvenate,” Dartnall says.
It seems to work. About 90% of patrons are repeat customers.
Dartnall is from an Afrikaans family, but speaks crisp English. On top of this there is something very French and stylish about her, from her bright red lipstick to her svelte, chic look. She is also rather European about her preferences. Her favourite drink is champagne (there is a champagne bar at the restaurant) and she’s quite clear about exercise — she seriously dislikes it.
She had dreamt about running a restaurant since her schooldays and chose her high school because it offered hotel keeping and catering as subjects. Later, when she was studying at the Prue Leith Chefs Academy, she won the Bill Gallagher scholarship to represent SA in America, at the Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
It exposed her to chefs from around the world, including George