New talents spice things up

Maropeng Hotel’s senior chef de partie, Thapelo Letsogo, and head chef Zhan Steyn are proving they are a force to be reckoned, after hosting the first of many pairings. They plan to reinvent the way people enjoy food. Letsogo and Steyn are a formidable duo, who bring the finer things in life to people in the area.

Q: How did you get into the industry?

T: It started as a travel and tourism subject while I was still in high school and the passion kept me going into the industry to date.

Z: I have had a love for cooking since the age of 12.

Q: Why did you choose to become a chef?

T: I chose to become a chef because the most important way for me to go places and make people around the world happy – especially the ones I haven’t met before – is to give them magnificent food so they can always remember my name whenever they think of dining.

Z: I love the kitchen and good food.

Q: What does it take to be a hotel chef?

T: It takes dedication, passion, hard work, commitment and discipline to be a hotel chef.

Z: Hotel chefs deal with a lot more than restaurants. There is banqueting, room service, à la carte and buffets… A hotel chef needs a good knowledge of worldwide dishes like Hungarian goulash, chicken Kiev for instance.

Q: What is the one thing that still fascinates you about food?

T: What fascinates me about food is that even though we are putting it in our mouth and eating it, it’s really the looks and mostly, the smell, that reels us in since our nose experiences the food before our mouth.

Z: The ever-changing fashion and what you could do with one single ingredient like a potato.

Q: What is your favourite dish?

T: Rippled yoghurt ice-cream with wood-smoked moist lemon soil, dense, chilly dark chocolate mousse, orange caviar and honeycomb.

Z: Any fish dish.

Q: How do you select which meals you are going to make or perfect?

T: It starts with the atmosphere, weather and fresh present products. The provenance of locally sourced products remains my key focus to select perfect meals for the day.

Z: There are many things to consider, like who you are cooking for and what ingredients are available at the given time. Also keeping in mind the latest trends and fashion.

Q: What is your favourite meal on the menu?

T: Beef fillet en croute, pomme Anna, field mushroom puree, glazed tourney carrots, celeriac horseradish cream with crisp zuchinni and rosemary juice.

Z: Thai chicken and prawn curry.

Q: What do you get up to when you are not in the kitchen?

T: I watch a lot of cooking channels. I mostly go around to local produce companies and network with our suppliers. Taking care of my herb garden also takes up most of my time.

Z: I enjoy art so when I get a chance I lose myself with paint, brushes and a clean canvas.

Q: What is the one misconception that people have about being a chef?

T: Most people think all chefs eat gourmet food.

Z: Television portrays this industry as one of stardom and big hype. The reality is, once you are in the kitchen, all that glitter falls off. You will only be a successful chef if you have a passion for the kitchen and be willing to burn the candle at both ends.