Behind every great chef, there’s also a great sous chef.

Over the next few weeks, Malu Lambert will find out what makes the sous chefs of Eat Out’s Top Ten tick, bubble, and boil over.

The bulldog

Jean Fourie is the sous chef at Roots in Krugersdorp. Roots ranked number eight in the Eat Out Restaurant Awards.

Jean thinks food can be art, plays the electric guitar, and decided to become a chef at 12-years-old.

What are your main responsibilities as a sous chef?

It’s quite a managerial role – stock control, rostering of staff, up-keep of standards, hygiene, menu writing, cooking…

You’re basically the bulldog of the kitchen!

What are the unique pressures that you face?

Well, when you’re the bulldog, many of the kitchen staff end up not liking you.

You need to draw the line between having fun and being serious. The challenge is to know where to draw the line.

As for pressure – in the kitchen it’s high pressure all the time!

What does being a sous chef in an Eat Out Top Ten restaurant mean to you?

Wow.  It’s a huge privilege, and it looks good on my C.V.  (laughs).

Seriously, though, it’s an honour being in the same category as the other Top Ten restaurants. It inspires me to push myself further, to achieve more.

The best part of your job?

Sending out a beautiful piece of art, or food as some would call it, and watching the waiter set it down in front of a guest.  To see the expression on their face, their positive reaction – that’s really special.

Did you always want to be a chef?

I’ve wanted to since I was 12-years-old. I needed to decide on a high school. I settled on one in Alberton because they had cooking and hospitality as a subject, it was my first big career move!

 So, there I was at the age of 12, learning French cooking terms and deboning chickens.

What ingredients are always in your kitchen?

Butter, Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

I’ll be 31 in five years time, and by then I’d like to have my own little restaurant, a nice 50-seater.

The most important food trend of the last year?

Terroir – locally sourced produce within a few kilometres radius. 

Also, free-style plating is quite interesting.  The components of the dish are all over the plate, almost like a Picasso, it doesn’t make much sense, but there’s somehow a perfect balance on the plate. It’s also called landscaping. Restaurants like Noma in Norway are doing it.

What do you do for fun?
I’ve just bought an electric guitar; I have three others at home; another electric guitar, an acoustic and a 12-string. I play in a garage band, and I even sing a little. Other than that, I drink wine and braai with my friends.

By Malu Lambert