Setting the culinary world on fire

Food has always been linked to family and friends for Ofentse Morake, The Maslow, Sandton’s new Executive Chef who plans to carry this ethos of gathering around a table for a meal into the four-star Sun International hotel’s operations.

The 35-year-old’s curiosity for cooking was ignited by his six aunts, and after a short stint in the United Kingdom after school, and a false start at the University of Johannesburg, he decided to turn his passion for food into a career. He studied for an International Professional Chefs Diploma through Capsicum Culinary Studio and hasn’t looked back since.

Taking notes

“I was able to do an internship at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida, that turned into a commis chef role for just over a year,” Morake said. It was here that he worked under the chef he credits as being his first mentor, Dan Vargo, who taught him to be dedicated and detail-orientated, and to always carry something with which to take notes.

He joined The Maslow on 1 August from his previous role as Cluster Executive Chef for two four-star hotels in Johannesburg, and three years as Consulting Head Chef at a five-star luxury lodge in Tanzania. One of his proudest moments in his career was when the Johannesburg restaurant he co-owned was named in the Eat Out Top 100 Restaurants.

His approach to food is to source the freshest and most seasonal ingredients, and prepare them in clever and interesting ways. “A good meal must engage the senses – from the eyes to the smell and taste.”

The Maslow guests can expect changes to the menu of the Lacuna Bistro and Bar to include more sharing aspects with a Modern Mediterranean style of food – possibly inspired by his fourth trip to Italy last year. “They can take something as simple as a piece of toasted crostini, rub it with garlic and pair it with fresh basil, tomato and buffalo mozzarella and it is just phenomenal.”

Holy trinity

The menu he has in his head features “great dishes, with simple ingredients and slow cooking elements which showcase the brilliance of comfort food that shines and is uniquely The Maslow”. Morake’s three most essential ingredients for flavour are garlic, onions, and chilli, or what he calls “the holy trinity of the kitchen”, but he avoids cooking anything more exotic than warthog. “No lion or crocodile for me, please.”

His first task as Executive Chef has been to update the staff canteen menus. “This has a trickle-down effect for service levels in the hotel – happy staff take better care of our guests.”

If Johannesburg Metro Police had to pull Morake over on his way home from work, they’d be surprised to find a full set of knives in his boot. “My chef’s knives are like my children and my mind is most at ease when I know exactly where they are,” he said. “I once found them being used to open tins – that person quickly found out not to do that again.”

A self-confessed fire addict, Morake loves grilling over hot coals, and if you find him at home, with a game of Man United on the TV, he could be seasoning a Tomahawk steak with BBQ spice and a touch of curry powder or preparing a tilapia with a fresh salsa verde or chimichurri. He is married to Pam and the couple have a nine-year-old daughter and another on the way.