Chris joined La Motte in
2010 from his position as executive chef for Ginja restaurant, brimming with
new ideas and passion which he has been using to ensure the La Motte restaurant
live up to the brand message of a ‘culture of excellence’.
Chris has a fascinating and
varied background, starting with cooking at home for his family when growing up
in the Karoo.
Chris was one of four
children being raised by a single Mom so everyone pitched in to prepare meals
and it was here that Chris’s love for food and organic produce began. Chris’s Mom taught him how to make everything
himself – from preserving jams, to butchering meat, to making jellies, biltong
and tripe, but the most important lesson that stands out
to him still to this day is how to make a little go a long way.
After leaving home Chris
ventured into the fields of chemical engineering following a bursary grant through
Iscor in the UK, when he eventually realized that this wasn’t the field for him
he shifted to dentistry- although still maintaining his love for cooking and
all things culinary. Chris and his then
girlfriend, now wife, worked part-time in bars and restaurants throughout his
studying and working until they both decided that Chris should pursue his dream
and study to become a chef.
After graduation from the
Elsa van der Nest academy, Chris worked at the Cape Grace hotel under Chef
Craig Cormac, before requesting to be placed at the busy Five Flies restaurant
for his in-service training. From here
Chris chose to leave SA for the UK and it was then that he met his mentor,
Shane Osborn. Shane taught Chris
urgency, precision and skill, and also allowed him room to explore his interest
in chemistry and the analysis of all cooking techniques and processes used in
the fast-paced kitchen. Eventually realizing
that it was time to return home, Chris came back to SA to put his knowledge and
experience to good use.
His global culinary
experiences have taught Chris discipline, respect and passion for many
different styles of cuisine, but it is being a part of a new food awakening in
Africa that truly excites him. He is
determined to promote the local food community to diners and industry alike,
and is confident that our true haute cuisine has only just begun.
It is this passion for home-cooked,
Afrikaans farm-style food that Chris has taken around the world, and which
attracted La Motte to him in the first place. On the lookout for a fresh taste, Chris’s Karoo-gourmet style blends
seamlessly with the vision of the new culinary destination. “At Pierneef á La Motte, cuisine is fresh and
exciting, but with dishes that immediately remind one that you are in the Cape
Winelands”, says Hein Koegelenberg, La Motte’s CEO.