Bubbling under: Dale Stevens, Faber
This young gun took over the reins at Faber in Paarl just nine months ago. Now, he’s putting his own stamp on the restaurant, with inspiration from the biodynamic farm that surrounds him. He talks ladybirds, chickweed, and the best bacon and eggs you’ll e
I grew up in Mossel Bay.
We weren’t a cheffy family, but I loved Sunday lunch roast chicken. I was chicken crazy. I loved the roast potatoes and my grandma’s sweet beans. They were kidney beans that she cooked and mixed with raw onion, parsley, sugar, and vinegar – like a sweet pickled bean salad.
I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school.
Before I knew it,
I had to make a decision. I said, “I’ll be a chef”. I left Mossel Bay straight after high school and went to chef school at The Culinary Academy (TCA) – it’s now the Hurst Campus. Before my placement, my principal called me in. She thought I was some young troublemaker, and she gave me a little talk and asked me if I was serious about becoming a chef. And then she placed me with George Jardine at Jordan Restaurant.
Working at Jordan was a big wakeup call;
it was hectic. We would change the menu every day. It was a big learning curve. I started coming in very early and I ended very late. First one in, last one out. It was intense, but that’s how I fell in love with what I’m doing. If it hadn’t been for George and a few of the sous chefs he had, I don’t think I would have been a chef. Now I can’t see myself doing anything else. One day we had a big group in the atrium and George just left me. He said, “You’re going to plate this course”. It was terrine – a presse – of buffalo cheek and sole with apple, sultanas, cherries and sunflower shoots. I plated it by myself for 21 people. Then he said, “Now you have to go and explain it”. I hate talking to people, but he just gave me the confidence and
I did it. He was like, “Just tell them your name’s Dale and you’re from Mossel Bay”. And the guests loved it! I remember that dish like it was yesterday.
I was there for four-and-a-half years.
I worked my way up to sous chef. But it was all I knew. I was 23 and it was time for me to leave.
I worked at The Test Kitchen in Cape Town for seven months.
The hours were hectic but I learnt so much. They put me on a section where it was only induction cooking. I’ve never worked on induction; I’m used to seeing heat. It was a rough month. But I got it down.
Then I went to Newton Johnson with Eric Bulpitt.
We spent a lot of time foraging and going to the lagoon to catch little hardertjies, picking samphire and mushrooms for days! It made me appreciate ingredients more. I followed Eric to Avondale to open Faber.
Avondale is a biodynamic farm – no fertilisers, no pesticides, all natural. The chicken’s got a job, the duck’s got a job, the cow’s got a job. It can be challenging at times. We struggle for tomatoes – they
We have lots of ladybirds to take care of the bugs in our garden”
get eaten by all the bugs! But we have lots of ladybirds to take care of the bugs in our garden. We do have to work with suppliers too, but everything that comes out of the garden tastes better than if I buy it from a supplier. It’s like day and night.
I spend a lot of time on YouTube – Munchies and Chef’s Feed – and a lot of Netflix.
I’ve just rewatched Ugly Delicious for the fourth time. But the vegetables and what’s in the garden are really what inspires me.
We get 20–30 fresh eggs every day.
So I’ve done a Faber-style bacon and eggs. There are lots of leeks, so I make truffled leek. I sous vide the egg for 45 minutes at 64°C, so it’s perfectly poached. I hot-smoke a pork cheek and roast it. Then I make a creamy dressing using toasted hazelnuts with water and mustard and finish off with Black Forest ham and a burnt leek powder.
The most challenging part for me was putting my own stamp on Faber after Eric left.
I’ve been here for two years but I’ve only been running the restaurant for nine months. Nothing is new – the plates, the aprons – so it’s been challenging to say, “This is me now”. Now we’re getting new aprons and plates. We’re slowly changing it.
As the boss, you can never have a bad day.
I have to be the positive one for the team. I’ve started watching soccer because my whole team is Malawian and Zimbabwean, and there’s a big rivalry – Manchester United against Man City.
I like to get to know people – you get more out of people that way and they’re happier. My girlfriend, Kat de Wet, is our front-ofhouse manager. We’re a little family.
When I’m not cooking, I’m thinking about my car.
I am obsessed with it. It’s a Toyota RunX but I’ve replaced the motor. It revs to 9000 RPM. I only drive it on Sundays.
I love working with my hands;
things that you need skill for, like breaking down a fish. I always challenge the team: who can clean down the duck the fastest, who can leave the belly on the fish when you cut off the ribs?
My favourite thing about being a chef is how intense it is.
Sometimes you might think you can’t do it. Then you bang out the dishes and realise, I did it! That’s just the best feeling. And then you go and have a nice cold beer. Faber, Drakenstein Road, Paarl; avondalewine. co.za/faber, @faber_sa