Bijou Restaurant - Toadbury Hall

Meet Our Executive Chef – Juan Kraukamp

The Toadbury Team welcomes Executive Chef – Juan Kraukamp, get to know the man behind in our kitchens; Bijou Restaurant, Otter’s Deli, WildWood Brasserie and Banqueting.

We have posed some questions to Juan.

Where did you grow up?
Kwa-Zula Natal

When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
I’ve always enjoyed cooking

What is your favourite food memory?
My Dad always cooked and I enjoyed cooking with him from the time I could use a knife

Where were you trained, and how difficult was your training?
I got a lot of training from my Dad who was a chef for a spice company in Durban think it was Crown Mines. I did not attend hotel school but went to a hotel to learn under Chef Marlene Bohm who trained in Dusseldorf under a French chef.

How do you get your inspiration?
Mainly from my Dad and Mom as they were always in the kitchen

Favourite kitchen equipment or gadget?
Any Gadget from a Pasta maker to my mandolin

Best piece of advice you would give a home enthusiast?
Don’t rush and if you are following a recipe keep to weights and times.

Best cooking tip for a novice just getting into the business?
Expect to work long hours without any gratitude and be modest.

What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you in the kitchen?
My first month training with Chef Marlene Bohm, I was asked to bake a Marble cake for a few ladies coming for tea as it turned out that I have burnt the cake and quickly buried it in the garden as I was quite afraid of Marlene. Many years later she told me that she knew what I did because the gardener had discovered the burnt cake.

Who in the food world do you most admire?
Nigella Lawson, Marco Pierre White and Thomas Keller

Favourite foods to cook with?
A variety of foods like Lamb and Pasta. What do you think is the most challenging ingredient to work with?
A person that is not willing to change their ways.:-)

Do you have a favourite wine?
That would be Zandvliet Pinotage

What do you like to eat when you’re at home?
Pasta and Meaty Casseroles all comfort food

Are there any foods you just don’t like?
Rabbit and crocodile; then later killed and ate my friend Favourite cookbooks?
Eastern and Indian

What do you do for fun?
Sit at a dam, fishing and braaing.

Where is your favourite place in the world?
Any where there is a sea and where I can catch fish

What do you most love about your job?
Seeing the enjoyment on the face of the people eating food.

If you had just one wish, what would it be?
To earn a Michelin Star.