Bocuse d'Or 2009

SOUTH AFRICA

President : Jeff Schueremans



date of birth :	25/04/1960
restaurant/company :	Sandton Sun
website :	N/A

A graduate of the Southern Sun In-House Training Programme, Garth Shnier went on to work at most of the five-star units in the Group, then onto the famous Arabella Grand in Frankfurt, Germany, under the guidance of Miester Koch Heinz Imhoff, on to La Horizon, Jersey and the Grande Roche. He headed up the renowned Grill Room at the Mount Nelson Hotel under Garth Stroebel, before joining the Michelangelo Hotel as executive chef. Until February 2005, Garth was executive chef at the exclusive Western Cape Hotel & Spa in Kleinmond, near Hermanus, before leaving to pursue his own business interests. Garth is currently Executive Chef of the Sandton Sun, one of four Deluxe Hotels in the Southern Sun Group. Southern Sun has the widest distribution of hotels in South Africa in major urban centres and key leisure destinations. In his current position, Garth is also responsible for overseeing the food operation of Sandton Convention Centre, which is one of South Africa’s largest international convention centres. Garth’s work experience has also included the position of Food & Beverage Manager for the Western Cape Hotel & Spa, giving him a more holistic perspective of food & beverage operations. He has had extensive experience in developing restaurant concepts and opening restaurants. This has included designing the kitchens and developing the concept for the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg; involvement from the initial stages of design of the kitchen and restaurant at the Western Cape Hotel & Spa, even prior to his full-time employment with the Arabella Sheraton Group; design of the kitchens at the Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel in Cape Town; and opening of the first concept restaurant in the Western Cape, namely “Scoozi” in Cavendish Square. In March 2005, Garth took the entrepreneurial route, opening a culinary consultancy called Professional Culinary Projects. During this time, Garth provided a consultancy service to a number of restaurants, including developing the unique selector menus for The Venue, formerly known as Kilimanjaro, in Melrose Arch, and researching and developing the concept and menus for South Africa’s most upmarket African dining experience, Lekgotla, on Nelson Mandela Square. Other clients have included the News Café Group, the Department of Trade & Industry, Coca-Cola, VWV, Makwetla, Gary Friedman Caterers and Timbali Lodge in Swaziland. Garth has been a member of South Africa’s National Culinary Team for 17 years and has represented South Africa in no less than nine international individual and team competitions, bringing home two gold and several silver medals. He also competed in the world-famous Bocuse d’Or in 1995 and managed the entry into the 2007 Bocuse d’Or. He is international competitions director of the South African Chefs Association and manager of Team South Africa, responsible for the training and selection of the team that represented South Africa internationally in the American Culinary Classic in 2003, the Culinary Olympics in 2004, Food & Hotel Asia in Singapore in 2006 and the Culinary Olympics in 2008. Under Garth’s management and captaincy, Team South Africa 2008 brought home a gold medal in the Hot Kitchen and two silvers and a bronze medal in the cold table. On the international front, Garth is an accredited judge of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), and represents South Africa on the International Culinary Committee of WACS.

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Promotion Manager : Graham Donet

Candidate : Diane Kay




date of birth :	20/08/1978
restaurant :	Sandton Sun
website :	N/A

A. Professional career A1. Tell us about your experiences (first step) in the “kitchen”? I was not sure if being a chef was what I wanted to do, but never the less I still went to study at Prue Leith in South Africa. During that time I was sent to a hotel to do a 2 month practical. I went to a 5star hotel, the West cliff. And after my time there I was in love with the whole hotel experience, and I knew then that this was some thing I going to enjoy. For my second practical I was fortunate enough to go and work in Ireland, in a 5star hotel, the Merrion Hotel. The chefs there were incredible, and the showed we so much, and they were all so patient with me, and took the time to show me. I went home so excited because I had found a career that I have loved, and too this day I love what I do. When I finished college, I then went to go and work at a 5star hotel, the Michelangelo, and loved my time there. I started in Larder, and by the end of my time there I was able to work in each department, including breakfast!!! A2. What was your first important culinary experience? Wow, I have had many great culinary experiences, and to remember the first important one is quiet tricky. One that comes to mind is, I was in Chicago with team SA; we had been there to enter into a competition. That in itself was a great experience, because it was my first international competition. But the highlight for me in that trip, was one of my team members, Marli, had a friend that lived in Chicago, and on our last night they wanted to take us out for dinner, they took us out to this incredible restaurant, where for the first time I had a real dining experience – from great food toexcellent service. It was there that I had a ‘aha’ moment, I understood how important good food and good service go hand in hand. A3. Which are the chefs have you met during your professional career who have impressed you the most and why? The one chef that I have always admired is Thomas Keller. I bought his book about 6 years ago, and were ever I have been that book has come with me, it has provided me with endless inspiration. B. The Bocuse d’Or Preparation B1. What made you want to participate in the Bocuse d' Or? When I was working in the Michelangelo Hotel, they had one of the Candidates come in to train for Bocuse, I was completely fascinated with this competition because it is not like any other competition, you have to prepare a platter, which is great because most competitions you that I did, all you had to do is prepare plates. I said to myself that one day I will enter that competition. B2. How do prepare for the Bocuse d' Or? (with whom, where, number of hours in the kitchen, set-up, when?) I have taken a week off work where my commis and I can do an intense practise session, and then I will be practising on my own after work, and my commis will practise on his own and then once a week we will get together and practise. How many hours....well as many as it takes. B3. With whom do you train? Who is your coach? I train with my commis, and our coach is Garth Shnier. We also include people that have been involved in previous Bocuse competitions, Like Garth Strobel, and Paul Hartman. Dr Gallagher also plays a big part in giving advice B4. Please tell us about your commis. What are his or her qualities? How to you plan to work together? My commis chef is Abubaker Bagaria, I think that his qualities are that he is hard working and dedicated. He wants to be the best and strives for perfection, which is what I be believe make up a great commis chef On place B5. Do you have a talisman you will bring in your kitchen box during the competition? My mom is my talisman B6. Will there be anyone supporting your during the competition? Who? I am very close to my family, and they are all coming to Lyon to support me. Which is really great. After Bocuse d’Or B7. What do you plan to do the day after the Bocuse d'Or? The day after I am just going to relax, and then my family is here in Lyon and we are going to do a little bit of touring around France. Long term... I am hoping to go and visit America, believe it or not I have never been to New York, and it is on my list for next year. I just want to travel, eat and drink...does life get any better than that? C. Your “cuisine” C1. How would you describe your cuisine/your way of cooking? We have got a lot of flavours in our cuisine, such as Cape Malay cooking, which includes lots of coriander, fresh tomatoes, turmeric. So it’s not hot spicy food, its’ full of flavour spicy food. There is also a lot of colour in the food we eat. C2. In what way have the culinary traditions from you own country inspired your cooking? I like my food to be well seasoned, and actually to taste like food. South Afican cuisine is really about a lot of flavour and hearty food C3. What foreign cuisine have inspired you? Why? I think that without a doubt we have all been influenced by French cuisine, But I have also been influenced in a lot by Scandinavian cuisine, but purely because I have been fortunate to go there, and I always make a point of eating in at least one good restaurant. C4. What are your favourite meat and fish products? I have just been introduced to Norwegian scallops; I have never tasted anything so incredible in my life. Beef fillet, because I love the way; when cooked properly, the meat just melts in you mouth when you eat it. I also love foie gras, love to work with it, and love to eat it. D. Your personal life D1. What are your hobbies? One of my favourite things to do is travel, I love going to Europe, and would love to go to see a lot more of America, which I have planned to do next year D2. What is your little secret to manage stress? Well I don’t have a little secret, but what I do know is that it all has to come to an end. And that tomorrow is a new day. And a beer at the end of the night is a great stress reliever! D3. What talents would you like to have in addition to cooking? One talent I would like to have in addition to cooking is interior decorating. I have always been interested in that. I think if you have a good knowledge of interior design and great cooking skills...that is a recipe for a very successful restaurant. D4. What is the thing you are the most proud of in your life so far? Being part of team South Africa; and going up on the stage at the culinary Olympic 2004, to receiving our medals. That was a great moment...I was proud of what I had achieved, what us as a team had achieved and proud to be South African!