TASTE's Annette Klinger catches up with Lorianne Heyns, chef at Spier's Eight Restaurant, and just back from a stint at Alice Waters' celebrated organic eatery, Chez Panisse.
What stood out most from your time spent cooking in the Chez Panisse kitchen?
The fact that everything is cooked very simply with no fussy sauces and garnishes or over-the-top plating. Every ingredient is treated with respect and kept true to its own flavour, as nature intends.
How did the experience affect your cooking?
It's really made me think twice about how I prepare a dish. The best seasonal produce is key.
Tell us a bit more about the ethos at Eight.
Like its name, the restaurant is an expression of balance, cycles, harmony, infinity and abundance. The produce used at Eight is either grown on the farm or sourced from nearby farmers and fresh-picked every day.
Signature dish?
Roast chicken pie with buttered garden veg. Angus McIntosh’s delicious chickens and biodynamically grown veggies perfectly showcase our wonderful fresh produce.
Spier's legendary picnics have recently undergone a revamp. Spill the beans.
Chef Judy Badenhorst and I have created a nourishing menu of creative salads, wood-fired breads, local farm cheeses, charcuterie, olives, you name it. We also cater for vegetarians and raw foodies.
What’s your tipple of choice after a hard day’s slog in the kitchen?
I am a total sucker for Spier’s MCC!
Any New Year’s resolutions?
To taste and explore as many flavours as possible.
Eight Restaurant at Spier
- R310, Stellenbosch
- Tel: (021) 809-1188
- Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm
- www.spier.co.za
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