Q & A with Peter Tempelhoff

Peter Tempelhoff is the executive chef of The Greenhouse and the Liz McGrath collection.

He has cooked in kitchens around the world and is a passionate and all-around great guy. He is creating some seriously amazing food at The Greenhouse in Constantia and his food is eye-rollingly delicious, innovative and beautiful.

We chat to him about life, food and his passion for supporting the SASSI list.

Q: Where
did your love of cooking begin – can you pinpoint an incident or moment when
you knew this would be your future?
A: I have always had a
passion for the trade, I remember as a young boy I used to make an effort to
get in the kitchen before my mother to help with dinner. The moment of
enlightenment occurred at a dinner which was cooked by Raymond Blanc nearly 2
decades ago; at that dinner as a trainee chef, I was overcome by an enormous
sense of relief that I had made the right career choice.

Q: What is
the highlight of your career so far and why?
A: Last
November I had the honour of cooking for the Grand Chefs of the Relais & Chateaux
at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel- there were over 70 Michelin stars in my dining
room… at the end of the meal I was kissed and congratulated with a standing
ovation, by among others; Raymond Blanc, Michel Roux, Georges Blanc, Michel
Trama and Olivier Roellinger- all culinary legends and my heroes.

Q: What is
your style of cooking?
A: My style has been rooted in
French classics while adopting a very modern approach in technique and flavour
composition. How has it evolved and changed? Over
the years my plates have evolved to become lighter and less cluttered, but still
remaining precise and true to the ingredients.

Q: What is the most exotic thing you have ever
cooked with or tasted? Describe
the dish.
A: Maggot cheese. It is a Sardinian specialty, the cheese is left
outdoors while it is still young, holes are bored into it and flies are allowed
to lay their eggs in the cheese. Days later the maggots have eaten  a lot of the inside of the cheese a and
‘matured’ it, at this stage the cheese is smoked so that the maggots are
terminated so cannot turn into flies. The maggots remains and the cheese are
then consumed like a normal cheese. The flavor is so strong that it burns the
mouth, so not a lot can be consumed- thankfully.

Q: You support the SASSI list whole-heartedly, what
do you think of restaurants who keep using fish on the orange list?
A: At some stage the head chefs/owners of these restaurants
need to take ownership of our seas, they need to wake up to the reality that we
cannot keep depleting our oceans like this – as in the future, their children
will have to pay the consequences… a planet of lifeless oceans.

Q: What is
the worst meal you’ve ever cooked? What happened?
A: It was a catering
event on Robben Island in 1997, Madiba was returning for an event with the
Clinton family- the caterers I was working for seriously under estimated the
kitchen capabilities and the menu. Ultimately the main course of baby chicken
was undercooked and took about 2 hours to get 150 plates out- it was so
embarrassing delayed that Madiba eventually left, as he could not wait any
longer; I was so happy he left so he would not have to taste the terrible food.

Q: What is the one implement in the kitchen you
cannot do without? Why?
A: My knives, needless to say
more.

Q: What in your opinion is the most underrated
ingredient? Why?
A: The humble onion- it is the basis of
all slow food, sauces, soups etc. but yet it receives a pauper’s gratitude.
Things taste better with onion, except desserts.

Q: What is the
best meal you’ve had in 2011?
A: Per Se, New York

Q: What do
you think about social media as a promotional tool?
A: The
undisputed king of media at the moment!

Q: How do
you view food bloggers?
A: Some with a pinch of salt and
some in high regards.

Q: If you
could have anyone cook for you – who would it be?
A: AA
Gill – I’d love to give him some of his own!

Q: Who
would you like to sit down for dinner with – anyone in the world? 6 people.
A: Will Ferrel, Charlie Sheen & Bree Olsen, Ferran Adria,
Jackie Chan, Dalai Lama (would have to be outside South Africa)

Q: What
would be your top foodie destination?
A: It has to be
Tokyo as I have been twice, but my second one would be Seoul, Korea

Q: Favourite
place to eat out in SA?
A: Borussos Trattoria; kid friendly
authentic Italian. The owner can be seen making pizzas every day – legendary!