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rett Gentles says growing up in the Upper Highway has memories of misty mornings, hydrangeas and azalea hedges. “My parents moved into the area from Durban as newlyweds in 1977. Hillcrest was still a country village at that stage, and a very happy place to grow up,” he says. “Having access to nature and open land was the best education. It has had a huge impact on the way that I think about food and the way I produce food.” After attending Highbury and Kearsney, Brett completed a BSocSci Degree at UKZN in PMB. “Half way into my degree I realised that I wanted to be a chef. Cooking in a digs for four other guys made me want to cook for a living. We had a roster, but I always used to take over,” he laughs. “When I finished my degree I went to study at The Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in 2004. I started my professional career at Lynton Hall with Richard Carstens, before moving to Cape Town to work the restaurant scene that was starting to take off.” Returning to Durban, Brett took a position as the Head Chef at Vanille Cafe (now Bellevue) until it closed. “I then moved on to 9th Avenue Bistro as Sous-chef with Graham and Gina Neilson, until my sister Lara and I opened Parc in Glenwood in 2013. After almost nine years at Parc we decided to move back home, and we opened 3603 in July 2021,” says Brett – adding that being siblings, it’s great to be able to trust that your business partner has the same vision and investment. “I am mainly creative and operations focused, while Lara deals with the financial and administrative aspects of the restaurant.” Brett has memories of cooking with his mom and grandparents from a very young age. “My mom’s father was Italian, so food was celebration of life. It was more than just sustenance, it has the power to transport you back to your childhood, to celebrate and console. It was that alchemy that got me hooked! “My passion for food also extends to growing food. We have planted large vegetable gardens at our family home in Everton, which we use to supply our home
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WHAT YOU EAT INSPIRED BY THE WAY FOOD CAN EVOKE NOSTALGIA, 3603 BRINGS SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT TO THE TABLE, WRITES KATRINE ANKER-NILSSEN
