Woolworths Taste – August 2019

PORTRAIT

JAN RAS

INTERVIEW

KATHARINE POPE

Twoofmymajorhighlights

happenedinthepastyear.

Thefirstwasatthree-Michelinstarred

MirazurinMentoninthesouthofFrance

(therestauranthassubsequentlybeen

namedbestintheworld).Theymadethis

nasturtiumdessert:deep-fried,crispythin

nasturtiumleafpipedwithnasturtium

icecreamandservedwitha dehydrated

flower.Whenwewerelittle,mymomsent

ustotherivernextdoortopicknasturtium

leavesforsalad.I hadtearswhenI atethat.

TheotheronewasinMoscow.I had

zeroexpectationsofRussiancuisinebut

TwinsGardenandWhiteRabbitweresuch

specialexperiences.Weate“fusilli”.Halfway

throughtheyexplainedit tous:it wasthe

spinalcordofthesturgeon.It wassoclever

• theythrownothingaway.Theydehydrate
  andsaltthefishscalesandtheybecome
  popcorn-likeintexture.Theyseasoned
  a dishwiththislaterintheevening.

I giverestaurantssecondand

thirdtriesbeforevotingor

awardingthem.I alsohave

a team,soif I’mtotallystuckI sendone

ofthem.If I’mreallyina quandary,I close

my eyesandaskmyself,wouldI go back?

If mygutsaysno,thenI know.

MoreAfricanrestaurantsbelong

onthe 50 Bestlist.We’rerightup

therewiththetopfive,wejusthaven’thad

theopportunitytogetthebumsinthose

seats.AftertheWorld’s 50 BestAwards,

thesystemkicksoutstatistics.Africaand

Indiaaretheleastvisitedregionsbyglobal

voters,soweneedtomarketourselves

offshore.We’rea farawaydestination.

Ourtourismindustrydoesn’thavea lot

ofmoney,sofinediningisn’tat the top

ofitsmarketingpriorities.

It alsostartsathome.If wearenot

supportingourculinaryheritage,our

restaurantsaren’tabletofinda business

modelaroundcelebratingSouthAfrican

flavours.SouthAfricansneedtostop

lookingforItalianfood,thebestchilli

popperorquesadilla.I seemyselfasa

culinarydiplomat.I’mworkingona few

foodeventsandcollaborationswithchefs.

I’moftenaskedtonamemy

favouriterestaurant.Andpeople

always expect me to choose one of the top

I started workingin
thefoodindustryveryyoung,
becauseofmymom,LanniceSnyman.In
standardfive,wewouldbakechocolate
browniesandmakeboereworsrollsat
Saturdaysportsfixtures.Then,because
mymomwaswritingrecipesforher
cookbooks,weneededtotest.I would
muckinandhelp.Shewasalsotheeditor
ofEatOutandneededa sidekickfor
reviewing, so I have fond memories

ofeatingatrestaurants

fromtheageof13.Later,

I wouldassistmyaunt,

AnneKlarie,whowasone

of theforemostfood

stylistsinthecountry.

Iwouldbunkschool,

hopona bus,putonan

apronandjoinheratfood

shootsforextramoney.

Mymomandaunt

hada restaurantin

theearly80scalled

Chardonnay.It was

oneofthefirstfine-dining

restaurants.Whenwewere

sixorseven,we’dpretend

tobewaitresses.Inthe

freezerattheback,we’d

findthischocolatevelvet

cream– it wasbasically

frozenchocolatemousse

thatthey’dsetincrystal

glasses,withwhipped

cream,a sprigofmintand

a wholebunchofsilver

balls.Thatwasmybest.

Mymotherwas

untrainedandI haven’t

hadanyformaltraining

either.I wasgoingto

gotravellingafterschool,butmymom

askedmetohelpheropenherpublishing

company.Sixmonthsbecame 16 years.

Foodstylinghasreallychanged

overtheyears.Thereusedtobea

veryclutteredpagewithcondimentsand

sidedishesandsaltandpeppercellars.

Nowwe’vegotnaturallightingandmuch

simplerplates.If youfusstoo much, you

scare off some cooks.

WHATI KNOW NOW

Tamsin Snyman

AsanacademychairforTheWorld’s 50 BestRestaurants,Tamsin

Snymanhasa uniqueperspectiveonhowSA’sfoodscenemeasures

upglobally.Shetalksconsistency,frozenchocolate mousse and

continuing her mother’s incredible legacy

38 TASTE AUGUST 2019

Tamsin Snyman

TABLE TALK