A Chef's Story - Margot Janse
That Margot Janse is as passionate about food as she is about life, is evident the moment you meet her. “I have always loved food and cooking” says Margot. “My parents divorced when I was very young, and for my mother, cooking was just another chore. Visits to my father were different. Food was an adventure.” She fondly remembers them picking blueberries and making jams and sauces, or walking early to the bakery for baguettes. You can almost smell the aroma of freshly baked bread, as with a glint in her eye, she recalls the best bit being allowed to eat the end of the bread sticking out of the packet as they walked home. “And we would eat it with real butter!” she proclaims. Exotic smells wafting over the fence from their Indonesian neighbor, would create an olfactory overload, and samples would be passed over the fence for the young Margot to try, so fueling her adventurous palette.
Growing up in Holland, the flamboyant Margot aspired to be an actress. But when that didn't work to plan, she moved to Africa 20 years ago, studying photography for three years. Although an adventurous cook, she was so focused on what she was doing, that she never allowed that impulse to take over. However, Margot felt the magic of the kitchen drawing her, so when given the opportunity to work in a restaurant in Johannesburg, she grabbed it. After two years, she moved to Cape Town, and worked at Camps Bay's Bay Hotel before moving on to her current position atLe Quartier Français in Franschhoek. When the head chef resigned shortly after Margot's appointment, owner Susan Huxter asked Margot to fill the position, seeing her obvious potential.
Margot's greatest culinary inspiration is Thomas Keller, of The French Laundry in the Napa Valley. In 2000, she traveled to the USA, Keller's being one of three kitchens where she was fortunate to gain experience. Keller believes that a great meal is a kind of journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten, and takes you to places you haven't been before. He has an obsession with quality ingredients, and believes in the foundation of fundamental techniques. Margot has incorporated this thought into her own kitchen creating a constantly evolving showcase menu for 'The Tasting Room' at Le Quartier Français.
Another famous chef who's talents she observed on this trip, was Chicago's Charlie Trotter. Trotter was once quoted as saying “Chefs, as a whole, say yes to any project, fundraiser, or tasting because they have such a generous spirit.” This philosophy must have rubbed off on Margot as she is involved in a project feeding muffins to 60 underprivileged children at a local crêche. Guests staying at Le Quartier Français are invited to assist with the baking and delivery of these muffins each Friday to the school. “It is truly a rewarding experience, and I believe everyone can make the time to do such things.” she encourages.
Margot finds it difficult to put her constantly evolving style in a box. “Plan dishes in your head, and allow yourself to be creative. Experiment with new things; you need to work with textures and balance, and the dish has to say something. I don't like bland food. I don't like safe food. This is my philosophy with food, and with life. It has to be interesting.” For this reason, Margot doesn't believe in having a signature dish. “Customers remember you by that dish,” she explains, “and when you have long moved on, they still remember you by that dish, which can be very limiting. At the moment I am experimenting with local salmon trout, coating it in crumbs made from black squid ink, served with an avocado and wasabi mousseline. I do this thing that makes the skin puff up; it's very interesting.”
Obtaining awards has never been Margot's goal. Rather, she aims at creating a memorable experience for her patrons. She has obviously achieved this objective, as Le Quartier Français, with Janse at the kitchen's helm, has made Restaurant Magazine UK's top 50 restaurants list several years in succession.
Says Margot, “I work with my intuition, which is a woman thing, I think. I don't dwell on mistakes, but deal with them and move on. Every day there are struggles to overcome. You can run around in panic, or you can say, 'what are my options.' If life was simple it would be boring.” In a male-dominated industry she has had to fight harder and often stand her ground against the chauvinist attitudes of tradesmen and suppliers; but her confidence and credibility have grown over time.
I leave Margot, as she rushes back to prepare for lunch - the kitchen is one man down. Yesterday a trainee slipped and was carried out on a stretcher. Margot takes this in her stride; just another day at work. As we say our farewells, I sense her mind is already in the kitchen, conjuring up some fabulous gastronomic fare...
© Rose-Anne Turner 20 January 2011 - for Morning Calm - inflight magazine of Korean Airlines
Growing up in Holland, the flamboyant Margot aspired to be an actress. But when that didn't work to plan, she moved to Africa 20 years ago, studying photography for three years. Although an adventurous cook, she was so focused on what she was doing, that she never allowed that impulse to take over. However, Margot felt the magic of the kitchen drawing her, so when given the opportunity to work in a restaurant in Johannesburg, she grabbed it. After two years, she moved to Cape Town, and worked at Camps Bay's Bay Hotel before moving on to her current position atLe Quartier Français in Franschhoek. When the head chef resigned shortly after Margot's appointment, owner Susan Huxter asked Margot to fill the position, seeing her obvious potential.
Margot's greatest culinary inspiration is Thomas Keller, of The French Laundry in the Napa Valley. In 2000, she traveled to the USA, Keller's being one of three kitchens where she was fortunate to gain experience. Keller believes that a great meal is a kind of journey that returns you to sources of pleasure you may have forgotten, and takes you to places you haven't been before. He has an obsession with quality ingredients, and believes in the foundation of fundamental techniques. Margot has incorporated this thought into her own kitchen creating a constantly evolving showcase menu for 'The Tasting Room' at Le Quartier Français.
Another famous chef who's talents she observed on this trip, was Chicago's Charlie Trotter. Trotter was once quoted as saying “Chefs, as a whole, say yes to any project, fundraiser, or tasting because they have such a generous spirit.” This philosophy must have rubbed off on Margot as she is involved in a project feeding muffins to 60 underprivileged children at a local crêche. Guests staying at Le Quartier Français are invited to assist with the baking and delivery of these muffins each Friday to the school. “It is truly a rewarding experience, and I believe everyone can make the time to do such things.” she encourages.
Margot finds it difficult to put her constantly evolving style in a box. “Plan dishes in your head, and allow yourself to be creative. Experiment with new things; you need to work with textures and balance, and the dish has to say something. I don't like bland food. I don't like safe food. This is my philosophy with food, and with life. It has to be interesting.” For this reason, Margot doesn't believe in having a signature dish. “Customers remember you by that dish,” she explains, “and when you have long moved on, they still remember you by that dish, which can be very limiting. At the moment I am experimenting with local salmon trout, coating it in crumbs made from black squid ink, served with an avocado and wasabi mousseline. I do this thing that makes the skin puff up; it's very interesting.”
Obtaining awards has never been Margot's goal. Rather, she aims at creating a memorable experience for her patrons. She has obviously achieved this objective, as Le Quartier Français, with Janse at the kitchen's helm, has made Restaurant Magazine UK's top 50 restaurants list several years in succession.
Says Margot, “I work with my intuition, which is a woman thing, I think. I don't dwell on mistakes, but deal with them and move on. Every day there are struggles to overcome. You can run around in panic, or you can say, 'what are my options.' If life was simple it would be boring.” In a male-dominated industry she has had to fight harder and often stand her ground against the chauvinist attitudes of tradesmen and suppliers; but her confidence and credibility have grown over time.
I leave Margot, as she rushes back to prepare for lunch - the kitchen is one man down. Yesterday a trainee slipped and was carried out on a stretcher. Margot takes this in her stride; just another day at work. As we say our farewells, I sense her mind is already in the kitchen, conjuring up some fabulous gastronomic fare...
© Rose-Anne Turner 20 January 2011 - for Morning Calm - inflight magazine of Korean Airlines