American-born chef Geoffrey Murray of Zachary’s in Knysna chats to Malu Lambert about his stints on TV, tips on how to make Southern fried chicken, and how he went from being a dishwasher to wearing chef’s whites.

Where are you from?
I was born in New York, but I grew up all over the world. I’ve lived everywhere from NYC to LA, Miami, Paris, Mexico City, the Seychelles and now South Africa. Where have you worked? In the early nineties, I was a partner in a restaurant called BOOM in NYC, which then opened branches in Miami, Mexico City, Mexico and Madrid, Spain. They were very successful restaurants, very trendy, star-studded kind of places. It was a lot of fun, lots of travelling and lots and lots of work!

Most inspiring American chefs?
For me the most inspiring would have to be Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkley, California. Alice is a pioneer of the restaurant/farmer relationship. Since the 1970s she has been a great advocate of using regional produce and organic foods. She is also one of the forces behind the Slow Food Movement.

Most inspiring South African chefs?
I admire Markus and Liezie of Ile de Pain for their dedication to fresh, simple and delicious food. I’m thrilled by how the restaurant industry is changing and how chefs in South Africa are becoming more aware of the resources they have available regionally and are starting to make use of them.

I read that you started working in kitchens at the age of 13. Can you tell me about that?
That’s right. I started working in restaurants as a dishwasher. I was complaining to my mom that my allowance wasn’t enough so she told me to go and get a job, not thinking that I really would. The restaurant was a small family-owned place and the chef/owner was an Italian man named Giorgio. It wasn’t long before he pulled me away from the sinks and into the kitchen to show me the ropes. Giorgio had very strong ethos about freshness and making everything from scratch. That has stuck with me through the years and is a strong part of my approach to food. Thirty-two years later I am still in the kitchen and still loving it!

Can you tell me about your stint on TV?
Over the years, I’ve done quite a number of TV appearances. In the US I was often a guest on the Food Network Channel in the early nineties. I’ve done a few interviews, MTV’s House of Style once did a programme showcasing my NYC restaurant. I also did a few things in France, Italy, Germany and Brazil while I was a guest chef at events in those countries. Here at Zachary’s, we’ve just finished filming an episode with Justin Bonello for the fourth season of his Cooked in Africa series. It was great fun, with a great guy and team. TV is an excellent forum for passing on the knowledge that we’ve learned as chefs.

Moving from New York to Knysna must have been quite an adjustment.
Knysna is an interesting place, it’s small town and cosmopolitan at the same time. I certainly miss the variety of choice that a big city like New York offers, but there are lots of interesting people here in Knysna, which gives it a cosmopolitan edge.

America is a huge country, what are the differences in culinary style from NY to the Deep South?
Massive, it’s like two different countries! New York City can be very cutting edge, cosmopolitan and more European then the Deep South. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of creative chefs in the Deep South, but in general real southern cooking is more steeped in tradition.

What are your tips on making the best fried chicken?
To start with, make sure you have the freshest organic, farm-raised chicken available. Contrary to what people might think, southern fried chicken is nothing like that thickly battered, fast-food type. Good southern fried chicken has a crisp, thin coating and the two vital ingredients are buttermilk and black pepper.

Any tips on cooking with bourbon?
 Use good bourbon! There’s lots of great bourbon to choose from in the USA. A real southern pecan pie is always made with a good shot of bourbon. That and the nutty pecan caramel flavour is a match made in heaven.

Geoffrey literally lives in a place called Paradise in Knysna. For breakfast, he loves an organic egg-white omelette, and a cup or two of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee.

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