Eateries must think outside the box to stay afloat

It was grandmother’s cooking that sparked the fire in chef Marcus Modimokwane. The 31-year-old says even to this day he can’t seem to get his chicken stew to taste as he remembers hers. The Capsicum Culinary School graduate and I had a chat over the phone about his plans and where he thinks the culinary industry and foodies are headed in 2021.

Modimokwane believes that people can change the world with food. His optimism prompted me to ask what silver lining he saw for restaurants in this time, as so many have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. His reply was that collaborations might be the way to go.    

“In my view, collaboration will be very important this year. If you own a restaurant, I see a lot of restaurant owners collaborating with influencers and celebrities to invite them to create a limited edition meal, curated. Imagine if Bonang created this beautiful three-course meal at one of these five-star restaurants. People would be interested to go there.

"So I think collaboration will be very important for restaurateurs... to drive that excitement... because people want that excitement. Restaurants need collaboration to survive, whether they invite young chefs to compete... that’s going to be interesting for people... it’ll drive foot traffic to those restaurants that are finding different ways to giving people service,” he says

Modimokwane’s greatest wish is that South Africans are able to access the Covid-19 vaccine quickly so that it will be safe for people to meet again.

“I would like to host brunches, because I think brunches are going to be the new lunches, because a lot of people [are now] accustomed to doing a lot of things at home and earlier. You’re going to see a lot of brunches come into play. More people are going to start drinking early. People are going to be home earlier. I’m hoping to be part of the brunch movement. I want to host a lot of brunches.”

The chef says his must-have at a brunch is sauce. He adds that he’s very interested in what sauces people serve their food with.

“For me sides are important. You know those relishes, your chakalaka, how you do your own chakalaka. Because eggs are going to be eggs.”

A nice cocktail is not far behind on that must-have item. Modimokwane says he knows that most people would opt for a mimosa but he thinks cocktails are the way to go and that rum and coke will make a comeback the same way gin and tonic took over our lives in recent years.

Modimokwane currently works as a private caterer, and he is also a recipe developer. He shares his recipes on social media. Most of these recipes are easy quick meals for busy individuals to prepare. These were sparked by the national lockdown and the sudden surge in interest for home-cooked meals. 

“The response to these has been great, especially on Twitter and Instagram. On YouTube it’s still growing. I think it’s because South Africans don’t like being redirected to other pages. If something is on Facebook it must be the whole video. Don’t say go to watch the full video on YouTube. They just get disconnected,” he says.

When asked what he thought was the next big thing in the culinary scene he says he believed that more and more foodies would turn to gardening.  

“I feel like a lot of people will now start planting their own herbs at home, because people are starting to want to know how fresh [ingredients are]. So you can imagine picking your herbs from your own garden and using it in your kitchen. That’s more fascinating; that’s more conversational and much more healthier. So I think having your herb garden or vegetable garden is going to be the new trend,” he says.

Modimokwane has worked with numerous brands in the past such as Flying Fish and Nestlé. When asked what he finds appealing about SA cuisine, he says its diversity allowed South Africans to be very adaptable to flavours and so we could borrow from any cuisine in the world and localise it.  We ended our chat with him imparting these last words, for anyone who might be needing advice.

“My biggest lesson is, always do your research.”

Chef Marcus’s take on the steak and blue cheese salad.

Ostrich Steak & Blue Cheese Salad

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons BBQ spice
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• ¼ teaspoon pepper 
• 2x 200g steak
• Cherry tomatoes, halved 
• Half red onion, diced 
• 100g blue cheese, crumbled 
• 1 cup of sweet corn, boiled
• Salad leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

• Heat the pan to high. Season your steak with the BBQ spice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pan fry the steak for 4 min each side.  
• Let the steak rest, covered with foil, 10 minutes before slicing.
• Put the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Place the sliced steak over the salad.
• For the dressing, combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl, season with salt and pepper before drizzling over the salad.
• Serve.  

Images by Overdue Concepts