From the Series
Did you know that the man behind The Test Kitchen (South Africa’s best restaurant and ranked number 22 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards) became a chef by accident? Or that he broke his leg and cooked his way through an entire Raymond Blanc recipe book on crutches? Perhaps not, but we’re giving you the chance to get to know Luke Dale-Roberts in a totally unprecedented way.
At age 16, British-born Dale-Roberts quit engineering school after just a week with a plan to become an electrician and earn £120 pounds, cash in hand. In 2010 he founded The Test Kitchen, now one of four restaurants he owns in South Africa, and has won a string of awards and accolades for his creativity with flavour. But he’s not one to boast, believing that cooking from the heart and putting all your emotion into a dish is the key.
“You can’t overplay your hand, you’ve got to moderate. Somethings might just come out clean on a plate with a three-word explanation: ‘Enjoy it, done’.”
This interactive interview allows you to ask Dale-Roberts the questions that most interest you. So if you want to find out his secret recipe for success, whether his favourite dish is tuna loin cooked in foie gras fat or his wife’s spaghetti bolognese, and why he uses the word “club” in the names of his restaurants – this is your chance to get inside the mind of South Africa’s most famous chef.
