Executive chef, Jason Atherton of Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurants is in Cape Town. He talks to Malu Lambert about his time at El Bulli, he favourite SA restaurants and the importance of food and wine pairing.

Tell me about your time at El Bulli.

My first day at El Bulli was the greatest day of my life. The colours, the smells – it was total magic. Ferran Adrià is an amazing chef – a real inspiration. He works on 50 brand-new concepts every year.

How did you end up there?

When I was 25 I was made head chef of a brassiere called Mash and a fine-dining restaurant called Air, which were both great concepts and hugely successful. Then I made a tough decision: I gave up my nice flat and pay cheque and went and worked as a chef de partie at El Bulli. My mom thought I had gone mad. I was committed to a career path though; I wasn’t doing it for the money. I worked at El Bulli for a season in 1998.

Did you learn any tricks?

Oh, so many! It was great to learn the techniques, but there’s no point in copying them and putting them on a menu. That’s just Ferran’s food on a different menu. The techniques I learnt inspired me to invent my own dishes. Besides, my cuisine is very different to Ferran’s. While I’ll look at an entire restaurant as a concept, he’ll do the same with a piece of meat.

Who do you count as your mentors?

Ferran has played a huge part in my career. And so has Gordon Ramsay, of course. He’s been receiving a lot of bad press lately, but I think that he’s a massive inspiration to many young chefs. He’s definitely one of the best chefs in Britain.

Can you tell me a bit about the concept behind Maze?

Fine dining can often be quite staid and predictable – starters, mains and desserts. I wanted to move away from that with Maze. Here you can come in and just enjoy a glass of wine if you like, or a glass of champagne with dessert. In most fine dining establishments this wouldn’t be possible. I consider Maze a lifestyle brand.

What inspires the menu?

In Cape Town the menu changes organically. We go with what’s in season, with fresh produce.

Can you explain the method of line cooking?

It’s a system derived from fast food joints where, rather than the old European method of people working around a central island stove, the stove is along one wall and then there’s a bench with fridges in front of it. People cook in a line. It’s a quicker way of working. When you’ve got lots of Michelin-quality dishes to produce, line cooking allows you to do so quickly and accurately.

What are your favourite restaurants in Cape Town?

I love the Roundhouse and La Colombe. The Tasting Room is also a favourite. I also love the Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. It’s famous overseas; people in London are talking about it.

Which SA chef do you admire and why?

Margot Janse is fantastic. She has paved the way for many local chefs. And she has helped to focus a lot of international attention on South African chefs. Also, PJ at the Roundhouse – he’s worked abroad so much, and has brought back a lot of knowledge.

The most important food trend in the last five years?

The recession has brought everyone back down to Earth. Not only does a restaurant have to be great, but it needs to make money too. Let’s talk wine.

How important is the relationship between wine and food?

Paramount. It’s like bread and butter. Husband and wife. One doesn’t work without the other.

Tell me a bit about Maze’s wine journey?

Each wine journey is different. The one in South Africa has been unique because the restaurant is located in one of the best wine producing countries in the world, so it would be crazy not to have a wine list that’s not 90 percent South African.

Any advice for aspiring chefs?

Work hard. Drop the dream of becoming a celebrity chef. If you want to be a top chef, cook because you love it, not because of the fame. The job is too hard and too demanding.

Did you always want to be a chef?

Yes, I always knew I wanted to be a chef. But I wouldn’t mind being a pro golfer!

Jason lives in Balham, London with his wife, Irha, and their four-year-old daughter, Keziah. When he’s not cooking up a storm or travelling the world he likes to run, play golf and go to the theatre.