Food & Home Entertaining – September 2019

E

ccentric Su-yen

wasborn in Hong

Kong in 1974 to a

Chinese mother,

Fanny, and Scottish-

South African father,

Michael Thornhill.

Heryouth was

brimmingwithculinary culture.

“Momisacook.She always cooked,

andtellsusshewastrained by some

CordonBleududeat some point.

She’sverystrictwith her recipes, so

shegetsabitstroppy with me when

Ijustthrowtogether whatever I feel

like.ShecooksCantonese food,

butalsohasverygood European

knowledge,sowehad a full range

growingup.Neverfusion though –

ifitwasEnglish,itwas English; if it

wasFrench,itwasFrench.”

Su-yen’snot-so-accidental foray

intocookingstartedearly on in her

life,whenhermother lay down and

announceddramatically: “I’m going

to die now and when I die, your father

FOR THE SENSES

a feast

Perched on a stool at the kitchen counter

of exuberant Su-yen Thornhill’s popular

weekly pop-up restaurant, Chéz Fong,

in Johannesburg, I am completely

captivated. As much a performer as she is

a cook, Su-yen lively banter makes for

a gloriously entertaining dinner

BY ROBYN TIMSON MOSS PHOTOGRAPHS BY CINDY ELLIS

STYLING BY SU-YEN THORNHILL

THE MASTERMIND

BEHIND CHÉZ FONG,

SU-YEN THORNHILL

90 SEPTEMBER 2019