01 June 2009 - Chef of the month

We recently interviewed, and spent time in his hotel kitchen with Rob Creaser, head chef of the luxury Commodore Hotel in the V&A Waterfront Cape Town, part of the Legacy Hotels Group.

Rob's cooking style was of great interest to us, as he is an experimental and inspirational chef, driven by international chefs such as Heston Blumenthal (Fat Duck) and Ferran Adria (El Bulli).

Hospitality Jobs met him as he was experimenting with ideas for his new menu:

Rob is making different flavoured caviars, for both savoury and dessert dishes including: olive, berry, and bloody-mary flavoured caviar, and it tastes amazing!

Lemoncello Spagetti:

Chef Rob takes lemoncello, mixes in agar agar (a vegetarian geletin agent) and then, using a feeding tube (pictured below) feeds it into the tube, to get the mixture into the shape of spaghetti. He then leaves it in a bath of cold ice water for a few minutes allowing it to set. When it comes out of the tube, it is perfectly shaped spaghetti lemoncello.

Chef Rob uses both the berry flavoured caviar and the spaghetti lemoncello as garnish for his white chocolate cheese cake recipe.

Traditional Pea & Ham Soup ~ Molucular Gastronomy Style!

First, chef Rob takes a tablespoon of pea puree mixed with sodium algamate and drops it into a water bath of calcium chloride. This forms ravioli style pea shapes which set with a thin coating. He takes them out of the mixture, injects them with soya sauce and adds them to a fine ham consume.

Hospitality Jobs Africa: How did you get into the culinary industry?

Chef Rob: I did my national service in the Navy when I was only 17 years old, and my uncle said to me, "become a chef: you will never go hungry, and everyone will want to be your mate." That advice has paid off, as I loved the work and out of it grew a real passion for food and the industry. So, my only formal training was 6 weeks in the South African navy, the rest has been on the job training.

Hospitality Jobs: How long have you been in your current position?

Chef Rob: I have been with the Legacy Hotel Group for over 6 years now. The group treat their staff well, and that is the reason that I stay. There are of course options of transfers within the group from time to time, but I am very settled in Cape Town.

Hospitality Jobs Africa: What inspires you in your current job?

Chef Rob: Making guests happy is one of my main inspirations. To have them really enjoy your food. I also get to experiment with new food trends and styles which in turn inspires my team and gives them the opportunity to grow and learn. I guess like most chefs, I dream of running my own restaurant one day, but it is a risky business.

Hospitality Jobs: What other chefs inspire you?

Chef Rob: I am inspired by Blumenthal and Adria. But growing up, Gordon Ramsay was always an inspiration to me, and of course Marco Pierre-White. Now less so, as Ramsay no longer cooks in his own kitchens, he just runs around making a lot of money. Marcus Weiring his protégé still cooks in his own kitchen each day however, and I think that is great.

Hospitality Jobs: What attributes do you think young chefs entering the industry should have?

Chef Rob: They need to have a passion for the industry. It requires long hours and extreme discipline (Rob himself has not taken a sick day in 6 years!). If they are not passionate for the industry, they will not survive. Technical ability can be taught, but passion and discipline cannot. Team work is also absolutely vital to make the kitchen function as a whole.

Hospitality Jobs: Where do you like to eat out in Cape Town?

Chef Rob: Le Quartier Francais is excellent of course, but I like home cooking. I enjoy Chandani Restaurant in Woodstock, and for Indian food, Bukhara.