Reuben Riffel

Chef de Cuisine and co-owner or Reuben’s Restaurant, Reuben Riffel is the 35-year old native sensation of Franschoek, a town increasingly known around the world as a prime food and wine destination. Within six months of opening, Riffel received the “Chef of the Year” and “Restaurant of the Year” honours at the 2004 Eat Out Johnnie Walker Restaurant Awards and “Top Ten” awards since then. Now a local fixture, the electic cuisine concentrates on the best local and seasonal produce available and the overall theme of the restaurant is simplicity.

Prior to opening his own restaurant, Riffel helped testablish Monneaux as one of the Top 10 restaurants in South Africa before and launch Bruno’s Brasserie in Cambridge, England. In 2007, Riffel received the “Unilever Chef of the Year” invitation. In 2008, he published his first cookbook to accolades and awards.

Reuben Riffel's Tale

To be a chef in the world today is quite exciting, to be a chef in South Africa is even more so. So many new things are happening, and many more people are experimenting. This allows chefs like me to expand our creativity. In South Africa, we are at the beginning of a boom when it comes to the restaurant scene. More chefs are opening there own restaurants and creating menus reflective of their own styles and personalities. They are cooking what they want to cook, instead of what they have to cook.

This boom is transferring to the rest of the industry. I now deal directly with producers and am observing that more and more people are cultivating herbs, vegetables and fruits and rearing livestock according to our specifications. We are clearly trying to establish a firm identity with regards to South African cuisine. For diners, this means the birth of new recipes and flavours. For chefs, this means more freedom to invent.

I am truly inspired by the passionate people around me, who have so much pride in their products. Chefs are more focused on collaborating with these people instead of purchasing expensive imported alternatives. South Africa is now home to some of the world’s best wine, olive oil, game and meat…and things are improving every day. Our collaborations with winemakers also gives us an advantage to bring more complete experiences to diners. There really is so much opportunity, and therefore so much excitement, in the restaurant industry in South Africa!

With this comes responsibility, of course, and sustainability is obviously key. There is a movement in South Africa to preserve what we have and to use it thoughtfully. I am fortunate to travel and have eaten around the world. The more I do, the more confident I am that South Africa can compete with the best in terms of cuisine.

Cooking is so personal for me. My grandfather and father loved gardening and we always had fresh
vegetables, fruit and meat for our meals. My grandmother baked bread everyday. Food is part of all my life, never something I took for granted. For South Africans, food is integral to the culture. I feel privileged to be an ambassador of this tradition and am encouraged by what the world is demanding of us. I look forward to this incredible challenge!