The Boston-born executive chef of Greenhouse, 43, on cooking duck tongues and cleaning sea urchins… and his favourite restaurants in Cape Town.
What I love most about living in Cape Town is waking up to mountains, vineyards and more mountains. And also, the great food scene…
When out-of-towners come to town, I take them to the top of Table Mountain, as it’s the easiest way to show off Cape Town’s diversity and landmarks.
The best restaurant meal I’ve eaten recently was at Babel, the restaurant at Babylonstoren in Stellenbosch – simple, delicious, fresh food. Plus, you can walk off your meal with the kids afterwards in their marvellous gardens.
My other favourite restaurants include South China Dim Sum for their braised beef short rib; Kyoto Garden Sushi for their tempura and Burrata for their amazing pizza.
An annual Cape Town event you’ll always find me at is the Constantia Fresh Fine Wine & Food Festival. I love all the wines on show and the vibe is always fun.
My favourite weekend getaway is Paternoster. I feel as if I’m stepping back in time when I go there, and you can pick shellfish off the rocks!
On my bucket list to still do in the Cape is paragliding off Signal Hill and diving for crayfish.
The best coffee in Cape Town is from Truth Coffee.
The best walk in my area is The Boomslang at Kirstenbosch.
I don’t think much of The Banting diet.
A good red wine for a special occasion is Waterford Estate’s The Jem.
Every good chef should have passion, patience and persistence.
I am currently busy preparing for a busy summer season at all the restaurants within The Collection by Liz McGrath. I’m also the Ambassador of Feedie, which supports the Lunchbox Fund.
On Sundays I chill with the family, braai and crack open a bottle of wine.
Money… where does it all go?
Straight after this, I’m cooking duck tongues and cleaning sea urchins – no lies!
When I wake up in the middle of the night I turn around and go back to sleep.
One day I’ll kick back.
Peter Tempelhoff is the Executive Chef at The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenhort, a Relaix & Châteaux property and part of The Collection by Liz McGrath. Relaix & Châteaux celebrated its 60th anniversary on 17 November 2014.