WANDILE MABASO
Chef de tournant, Le Meurice Alain Ducasse, 2 Michelin star restaurant, Paris
I GREW up in Soweto and was always fascinated by ingredients. I’d cook with my mother and when I was 17 I was making the Sunday lunch. By 18 I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my life. My mother approved of my choice of career as a chef, but my dad was hesitant.
My first job was in Miami, Florida, in the kitchen of a golf resort. I started at the bottom but by the time I left I was chef de partie (a chef in charge of a particular area of production in a restaurant). I took a chance and moved to New York to start my dream of learning to be a classically trained French chef. I went from door to door to the best French restaurants in the city and French chef Olivier Reginensi, who became my friend and mentor, took me in and trained me in classical French cuisine. It was Reginensi who introduced me to Alain Ducasse, the owner of Le Meurice in Paris, where I have been working for the past year. Training to be a classical French chef is tough and the only thing that will keep you going is to have a goal. It’s part of the process to get where you want to be. Every day I picture it over and over and it keeps me mentally strong.
In the kitchen of Le Meurice I’m one of 15 chefs. We rotate every four months so everybody gets to know every part of the kitchen. What stands out about Michelin star chef Ducasse is that he is humble and smart. He has a desire for quality; he’s all about quality in ingredients, presentation and training and has high standards. He has 22 restaurants around the world.
In Paris you do not follow trends. Here chefs have their own identity. I come across as a calm chef but in my head I’m not calm; a million things go through my mind all the time. I’m someone who can control my emotions; I’ve trained myself to be calm. Anyone wanting to be a chef should ask themselves if they are sure they want to be a chef because a lot of people get into the industry for the wrong reasons. They think they will be a superstar and that it’s a glamorous job. The only reason to be a chef is if you have a real passion and love for food — because it’s not about money.
Part of every chef’s job is to taste food, but in my position I never get any good sleep as I’m always working. Everyone in the restaurant is skinny because the level of cooking is always stressful and there’s lots of pressure. Normally after a shift we eat fresh baguettes with olive oil and good butter. I’ve been away from South Africa for seven years and enjoy coming back to see my family and cook for my sevenyear-old nephew, who has an incredible palate. This time I made him a mushroom risotto which he loved. I plan to return to South Africa permanently. Working in a Michelin-star environment is stressful and my dream is to work for myself, share my skills and give people good food — and improve the local culinary scene in Johannesburg where people are hungry for good food.