Some people eat to live. Others live to eat, wanting more from a dish than mere sustenance.

This is according to Simon Davey, executive group chef for The Dining Room at the Grace Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg. 

He says that while there is no shortage of talent in South African kitchens, South Africans are definitely looking to take their palates to the next level – and he’s only too happy to oblige.

Davey, a scholar of classical French and modern French cuisine is no stranger to the exotic and the innovative. 

Having cooked in many different places around the world, he’s developed a penchant for Asian cooking and uses simple but flavourful Asian influences in many of the dishes he prepares on a daily basis.

Chinese cuisine in particular, represents the philosophy that Davey has around cooking – achieving the most appetizing dish with the simplest of ingredients.  And it’s a deep understanding of these ingredients and how they are made up and behave on a molecular level that really gets Davey fired up.

“For me,” he says, “the idea of fine dining and going on a gastronomic journey really shouldn’t be intimidating or so over the top that nobody understands what they are putting into their mouths.

“Keeping it simple enough for people to comprehend, but adding a twist that will provoke their senses and give them something unlike anything they have experienced in the past is what drives me.

“Even something that is as misunderstood as vegetarian or even vegan can be wholesome, delicious and – above all – satisfying if you put a little bit of thought into how you prepare the dish.”

Davey also takes inspiration from the rich history and cultural diversity of South Africa, which he believes has given the country’s cuisine some very unique characteristics.

“You can always tell a country’s heritage from the food that its people eat and prepare, and I’m a firm believer in maintaining that heritage, which is why I like to add that little bit extra to a dish to take my guests out of their comfort zones, but not too far out that they feel out of place.”

To best illustrate this, Davey explains his molecular gastronomy take on the popular dish of mussels and chips.

“You can have traditional mussels and chips, or you can puree the mussels and pass gas through them in a siphon creating a light and fluffy mousse, which you serve with classic chips,” he explains.

“Same ingredients, but a totally different gastronomic experience that is guaranteed to provoke the senses and make people say wow.”

Davey is one of the 16 chefs that will be participating at this year’s Taste of Joburg Festival from 30^th September – 3^rd October 2010 at the Montecasino Outdoor Event Area.

His menu for the event, which is derived from his newly-designed African Asian Fusion menu from The Dining Room at The Grace, will include: Sweet chilli Cape gambas with prawn and coriander toast, lacquered duck tartar on the grill with flash fried noodles and ginger butternut, and molecular chocolate and ricotta marshmallow, caramel and nougat sauce.