CHEF’S PROFILE

Love and a pinch of salt are chef Earl’s favourite cooking tips

Love is one of the most important ingredients in Earl Larkin, the newly appointed executive sous chef at Meropa Casino and Entertainment World’s dishes.

After matriculating, the young Pietermaritzburg Earl was on a career day outing at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) when he was shown the hotel school campus. “It was a tough decision (deciding what to study), but I’ve never looked back.”

Today he holds a national diploma in catering management.

By rejoining Sun International, the chef comes full circle – he started his career in 1993 at the Wild Coast Sun. “We operated the Bengal Brasserie under the watchful eyes of the resident chefs,” he recalled. Following this, he completed his in-service training at a hotel in Port Alfred and at a five-star game reserve in the Eastern Cape. “An opportunity was then afforded to me to join a corporate catering unit, which I did until 1998, when I became executive chef at a Country Club in my hometown.”

In 2007, the bright lights of Sun City beckoned, and he worked there as a chef until 2016. “This period was one of the most rewarding learning curves of my career,” Earl said. It was here that he experienced his proudest chef moment, being part of the team in the opening of Sun City’s entertainment centre.

He left there to broaden his expertise, working at various hotels around the country and ending up in Gauteng. Earl was retrenched in June 2020, due to Covid-19 affecting the hospitality industry, and rejoined Sun International in early 2021. “I am hopeful that being back with Sun International will open more doors and ensure a rewarding career.”

With Covid-19 health and safety regulations in full force, Earl said that all food was virtually contactless on the serving side. “Hygiene has to be paramount and food has to be individually wrapped and served to our esteemed guests and colleagues.”

Current food trends are that people want to eat healthier food, “with lots of texture, colours and flavours. We also have to look at our environment and animals with regards to meat and its exploitation,” he said.

The hot kitchen is his favourite place to be. “I love to play with low and slow foods, slow roasted brisket, twice cooked pork belly, deboned leg of lamb stuffed with rosemary and garlic, together with gravies to accompany these foods. Recently I have begun producing my own signature aged chilli sauces which are absolutely delicious.”

Earl is married to a Mauritian, whom he describes as “my soulmate” and the couple have two dogs, which are the “apple of our eyes”. His favourite meal is his wife’s chicken biryani with all the trimmings, but, he says he does not enjoy anything in the offal line-up.

His favourite piece of kitchen equipment are his hands, and Earl says that he loves seafood and fresh ingredients – chilli garlic, white wine, cream. “This, paired with wonderful friends, is all you need for the perfect meal,” he said.

What is your signature dish?

My signature dish is a Thai-inspired prawn stuffed chicken croquette, fan filleted on a red peanut curry sauce with sticky jasmine rice. Paired with a Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc.

What trends are emerging in the conference industry regarding food?

Individuality in food presentations and one-bowl items.

What has remained constant in this industry?

People need to eat.

What is your favourite beverage?

Malibu and Appletiser.

What is your favourite food?

My wife’s biryani with all the trimmings, either chicken or mutton.

What is your pet hate?

Being pushed into a corner.

Who is your great love?

My late mum.

Are you adventurous?

Yes. I have swum with dolphins in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mauritius.