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Born in the early sixties
in the picturesque village of Ficksburg in the
Eastern Free State, home to two of his ultimate
favourite ingredients, asparagus and cherries,
and growing up amongst the vast canvasses of
corn and sunflowers of the Northern Free State,
it was destined, though initially self-denied,
that he would land in a kitchen.
Johan met Peter
Veldsman while he was doing his Honors
Degree at Stellenbosch University. He became
Veldsman's assistant in the South African Cookery
Club. The bug bit and he was hooked. During
the late eighties he was appointed as Executive
Chef at Shrimpton's in Muizenburg, Cape Town,
where he raised standards to a new level leading
the Restaurant to receiving the Blazon of the
Chaîne des Rotisseurs.
His next appointment was in Oslo, where he became
Chef to the South African Ambassador. During
his time in Norway, he and Ambassador Bosman
created
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SAGA -
South African Gourmet Association for the sole purpose
of promoting South African cuisine and wines through
food demonstrations and dinners. During this time
he was able to travel extensively in Europe meeting
with Chefs in the Scandinavian countries, England
and in particular, Italy.
After his return to South Africa
he joined Peter at Emily’s. In 1995 he was awarded
the Grande Diplôme of C.A.I.A., bestowed upon
him by his mentor, Peter Veldsman. This is still one
of the accolades that he holds
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dearest.
Today, he is also a partner in V&O (Veldsman
and Odendaal). He has appeared on many occasions
on television, both locally and internationally,
brewing up the Emily’s signature of modern
South African food. He is as well Deputy Principal
of C.A.I.A. Johan contributed greatly to Emily's
success, in particular with his dedicated teaching
and innovative cuisine, which lead to Emily's
receiving numerous local and international awards.
On a personal level (time permitting after the
typical 14 hour shifts), Johan attends to his
appreciation for the arts, particularly contemporary
architecture, couture, opera and classical music.
After Cape Town, the cities, which are closest
to him, are always, first Paris, and then Nice
and San Francisco. |
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