Fresh local food produce is the hero behind the many mouth-watering dishes that chef Jodi Gillespie has cooked. For Gillespie, behind the impassioned efforts many chefs put into their dishes, there are equally heartfelt stories of the local produce that should be told more.
“Talking about our suppliers and the produce they create for us allows us to be great chefs because they are great at wnhat they do as well. We create dishes with great flavours, but nobody is celebrating the artisans that are providing those flavours to us,” she says.
The 37-year-old is the executive chef of Newmark Hotels and Resorts' Waterfront properties, overseeing several outlets, including Ginja restaurant.
At the heart of Ginja is exciting local artisan produce courtesy of Marvyn Buys (Smoked by Buys), whose speciality is the smoking of meats and other food produce.
“We are part of an ecosystem and that means supporting the guy next door. Marvin is a wonderful guy and his business started around smoking meat. When I did the menu creation for winter, I approached him and a lot of my menu was designed around cold and hot smoking. I’ve asked Marvyn to smoke our signature short beef ribs and brisket burger over sweet potatoes,” Gillespie says.
“We don’t solely focus on local flavours but also celebrate the local artisans around us. We use produce within a certain radius around our hotel because we want to tell the story of the small dairy farm with 12 cows that sit in Hout Bay that make our cheese.
“Food brings people together not only when you are sitting down at a table to eat. It’s also part of the culture at the back of the house in the kitchen. It’s all part of the culture and shared passion for food. It’s not just the people we are feeding in the front, but it’s also the team I work with. It’s a connection of culture. I’ve had the honour of opening and running award-winning restaurants where my passion for layered flavours, refined technique and cultural storytelling really come alive through the food.”
Gillespie’s impressive resume includes working at Fairmont Hotel and Resort, Hilton Hotels and Tsogo Sun. She has lived in four countries throughout her childhood, moving between cultures, flavours and kitchens, which ignited the passion to bring people together with food.
“Without a doubt, the global exposure sparked an early curiosity about food and its role in how it connects people. It’s my love. I have a lot of culture, which is derived from my love of food,” she says.
“I was born and raised in Midrand, Johannesburg, and grew up in a family of pilots. I was whisked off to the Middle East, and I lived in Bahrain for two-and-a-half years, then moved to Mauritius for three years. I lived in the UK for two-and-a-half years, and then moved to Saudi Arabia for nine years.
“I returned to SA after high school and enrolled in the Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in KwaZulu-Natal. As soon as I was done with school, I relocated to Dubai and began my career at the Fairmont Hotel and Resorts as a commis chef.”
The early markings of her interest in food are a kindled memory of Gillespie baking banana bread with her grandmother.
“The banana, the cinnamon, the brown sugar – I can still smell it today. I was probably aged four. Bringing out and recreating such nostalgic memories that people have through food is what I try to ignite and recreate those special moments with my dishes,” she says.
Lamb shank with creamy mash
Ingredients
- 450g Lamb shank
- 2g salt (fine)
- 10ml EVOO
- 5g garlic
- 50g onion, white (chopped)
- 50g carrot, large (diced)
- 50g celery, chopped
- 200g red wine
- 150ml tomato tin (plum)
- 200g Thyme
- 5g Bay Leaves (2 each)
- 250ml lamb stock
Method
- In a large pot, add the olive oil, onions, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook until caramelised.
- Add the lamb shank and sear on all sides until golden. Remove from the mixture.
- Add the tomatoes, red wine and herbs into a large pot and bring to a simmer.
- Place all ingredients onto a baking tray, including the braised shanks. Ensure the shanks are covered by the sauce. If it’s not enough, top up with more lamb stock.
- Place the baking tray into the oven at 150°c for 3 hours.
- Once done, remove the shanks from the sauce and reduce the sauce on the stove by cooking out the excess liquid.
- Blend and strain the sauce and season to taste
- Heat the lamb shanks to order in a small amount of their gravy.
- Serve with a choice of seasonal vegetables or creamy mash.
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