It’s 12 degrees in Johannesburg and pouring with rain. I’m sitting with Marthinus Ferreira in his restaurant, DW Eleven-13, and I’m not sure if it’s his infectious enthusiasm for food, or the glass of Pinot Noir I’m enjoying with him, but I don’t notice the cold at all.

Marthinus has just returned from a stint in London, which saw him cooking at Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Café, as well as The Fat Duck, where he worked under owner Heston Blumenthal. “I never even met Ramsay,” he says, almost embarrassed. “Heston was another story. I learnt amazing things in my time there.” When pushed to explain how he was lucky enough to be accepted into such an internationally renowned kitchen, he laughs. “You won’t believe it. I went over there to see them and they agreed to give me a three-day trial. At the time I had 50 pounds to my name. The Fat Duck is a little bit out of town and the four-hour tasting menu means that the kitchen often closes at 1:30 in the morning. By that time I had missed the last Tube home. Obviously I couldn’t afford a cab so I ended up sleeping under the stairs in the train station for three days! When the trial period ended they gave me a job on condition that I did something about my personal hygiene. When I told the guys where I had been sleeping, they burst out laughing, gave me some cash and sent me home for a shower!”

The sacrifice was clearly worth it, as the things Marthinus learnt have been invaluable at DW Eleven-13. “I learnt that I should cook food I enjoy eating. It might sound obvious but when Heston Blumenthal says it, it somehow becomes more significant. This simple statement had far-reaching effects for me, as I now try and cook simple dishes where the main ingredient is the star. I don’t want to overpower a beautiful piece of meat with a mushroom sauce. I’d rather let it speak for itself.” Asked about local chefs who are doing similar things, he mentions Franck Dangereux and David Higgs (from The Food Barn and Rust en Vrede respectively). In fact, he even admits that the prawn ragu on his menu is an idea that he got from Franck.

I ask Marthinus what ingredient he cannot do without and his answer of star anise surprises me. “It’s awesome with meat and works well with basil, which is another favourite of mine. That’s an impossible question though,” he jokes. “How can I choose just one ingredient? I am busy introducing a new menu [he wants to change it every two months] and every time I come up with a dish, I say it’s my favourite. They all become favourites!” Examples of some of these dishes? “Poached salmon with beetroot carpaccio, horseradish and grapefruit. Smoked duck salad with foie gras and verjuice dressing. Ratatouille tartlet with Parmesan shavings.” I’m impressed and ask him what kind of person will appreciate his food. “Anyone” is his immediate reply. “If a guy comes here in shorts and flip-flops I’m not going to turn him away. I hate it when restaurants take themselves too seriously.’

The conversation changes as we discuss food trends. “Sustainability is a big issue,” he says, turning serious for the first time. “I’m starting to serve Mauritian sea bass from next week. It sucks that I have to import fish but I simply cannot serve species from our coastline when I know the seas are being totally over-fished.”

The more I talk to Marthinus, the more it becomes clear that the man has food on his mind all day, every day. “Being a chef is all I’ve ever wanted to do. Who else do you know who could eat a piece of wild salmon and start crying?” He goes on to explain that this happened at Matsuri Sushi Restaurant in London. He is also very ambitious. “I’d like this restaurant to be in the top 10 in the country by 2013. But I know we have a long way to go. I have plans for a tasting menu with little tricks I learnt from Heston. He taught me how to play games with diners. The first thing you get when you eat at The Fat Duck is a block of purple jelly and a block of orange jelly. They tell you they are beetroot- and carrot-flavoured. What they don’t tell you is the purple one tastes like carrot and the orange one tastes like beetroot! It’s totally whacky and immediately sets the tone for the meal. I’m excited about trying to push the envelope here once we get the basics right.” I ask him about the weirdest thing he ever made with Blumenthal and he thinks for a long time. “One night the CEO of McDonald’s came into the restaurant. Heston went out and got a Big Mac, blitzed it and made ice cream from it. It was insane.”

I’ve been there an hour by the time I get up to leave. I could’ve stayed a lot longer listening to food stories from Marthinus’s travels through Europe. He walks me to the door and asks if I’m watching the rugby later. “So you DO actually have interests other than cooking?” I ask as a joke. “I try,” he laughs, “but I do spend quite a few of my days off paging through cookbooks. You never stop learning in this industry.”

By Jamie Who