Chef Who Loves Local
Isn’t it strange that Britain is rarely seen as a culinary epicentre? It doesn’t seem to matter that they’ve produced some of the most famous award-winning chefs – including Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Heston Blumenthal, Gary Rhodes, Jamie Oliver, Mary Berry and more. And yet, for some reason, the UK is still left off the list of foodie places to visit around the world.
What if we were to tell you that a British chef, trained by Gordon Ramsay, was living in South Africa and has made a name for himself as an impressive local talent? Matt Manning, currently seen as one of Cape Town’s hottest private chefs, is that British chef. He grew up helping his grandmother in the kitchen and has loved food ever since. Lucky for all of us, he chose a career in food over becoming an electrician, and hasn’t looked back since. He says of his current career, “It allows me to combine my love for cooking with my business instincts and to create new, unique dining experiences. I am also extremely sociable, so I love that ‘private cheffing’ allows me the opportunity to interact and engage with my guests.”
We sat down with Matt Manning, private chef and Siemens ambassador, and did our best to pick his brain on all things food:
Most chefs do their utmost to use local produce and support local farmers – do you think the quality of the produce in South Africa is part of the reason that the food industry has taken off in the last 10 years? Is there an ingredient that you think SA grows really well? Because of our social-media culture, cooking students see chefs on Instagram, and think that all there is to being successful is to have a photoshoot in a slick-looking kitchen and appear on the Expresso show once or twice. They don’t see all the hours prepping in the kitchen, the blisters from standing on your feet all day, and the running around that goes on behind the scenes. So when they’re faced with the reality of learning to cook, it quickly loses its glamour and they lose interest. There are no shortcuts to mastering something, or to having genuine longevity in your career. It’s about being consistent, and pouring your all in to every single thing that you do. Each of these chefs were great role models in this.