From Town To Country
At Chefs Warehouse on Maison wine farm in Franschhoek, chef David
Schneider believes in big tastes and Àavours, and keeping it country
WORDS JENNY HANDLEY PICTURES FRANCOIS PISTORIUS
T
he transition from town to
country has been seamless for
talented David Schneider, head
chef and co-owner at one-plated
Chefs Warehouse at Maison.
Watching him walk through the garden with
a chicken under his arm (which he nicknames
tomorrow s tapas ), you could be challenged
to see him in another environment. His sense of
belonging is evident in his smile, the pleasure
etched on his face as he is hard at work ‘in the
zone in the open kitchen. When he looks up
from the serving area, it is the vineyards andthe Franschhoek mountains, bathed in a pink
glow, that catch his eye.
David spent his first five years in
Cape Town, and grew up in Morningside,
Johannesburg. His childhood memories include
visits to his uncle s trout farm in Machadodorp,
where he and his brother enjoyed holidays.
Other vivid memories come from bush escapes
to the Kruger National Park. 0I would always
choose bush over beach,2 he says. 0But beach
holidays were spent with family in Durban.
Either way, it was important to be in touch
with nature.September 2019 094