BITES

Stock the drinks trolley for summer

Taking a break for me is not just time off work but rather to find inspiration, whether on a safari, scuba diving or in the back alleys of a European city.

The place I go back to most often is Sodwana – definitely my favourite holiday spot in SA. Kruger National Park is a close second – I lived in the Skukuza staff village for a couple of years. I went to Modena, Italy, with the sole purpose of going to chef Mossimo Bottura’s restaurant, Osteria Francescana. Getting to do a lap in a Ferrari 458 Italia was equally exhilarating!

The best meal I’ve had on holiday was on the lawns of an abbey in San Girolamo, Italy – provolone, pears and Parma ham with some crusty bread.

I was most surprised by the food in Madagascar: a meal of coconut rice, fresh salted cucumber and tomatoes – plain, simple and so tasty.

I spent most of my childhood in the kitchen of my parents’ restaurant with chef Jimmy, who taught me all about cooking. Great food travels in SA should include diving and having pizzas at The Lighthouse in Sodwana; eating real farm-to-table food on the Wild Coast (Coffee Bay, Mazeppa Bay); and goat’s cheese and craft beer in Nieu Bethesda. My favourite destination is Le Marche, the ‘breadbasket’ of Italy – the people live humble and honest lives; I admire their relationship with the land.

NCW is an innovative boutique restaurant in an Edwardian house in Melville, Joburg. 011-482-1998