6 minute read
ENGAGE WITH WHAT YOU EAT
from The Crest 109
Brett 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,
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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
INSPIRED BY THE WAY FOOD CAN EVOKE NOSTALGIA, 3603 BRINGS SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT TO THE TABLE, WRITES KATRINE ANKER-NILSSEN
and the restaurant with as much as the gardens will give us. Seeing the earth turn into something beautiful that nourishes you is so rewarding. Nothing tastes better than something that you have grown and picked and eaten directly from the ground,” smiles Brett.
“I am inspired by ingredients and their seasonality, by the way that food can evoke nostalgia. Food has the ability to illicit emotion if you engage with it, and I want our diners to engage with what they eat when they come to 3603,” he says.
“Our journey with Parc had naturally come to an end and we felt it was time to change and return home, to the Upper Highway area. When we discovered that the old Gillitts post office was empty and up for lease, we immediately went to see the space. As we walked in we knew that we had found our new home,” says Brett – adding that 3603 is an extension of Parc. “Lara and I often joke that 3603 is Parc’s older sister. We are still ingredient-focused, but now we are able to open for dinner too.”
The breakfast and lunch menus are modern cafe in style; good, fresh, seasonal fare. The dinner menu is a little more sophisticated, international bistro. “The lights get dimmed, the jazz comes on, and the stemware gets set,” says Brett. “Think slow braised pork rib rillettes with a pineapple, radish and cucumber salad
ABOVE: Brett in his food garden.
dressed in a spicy Vietnamese sesame dressing… or locally caught line fish served with honey roast pumpkin, wilted imfino and sauce almondine.
“3603 as we know it is just the beginning of where we want to take the space. We want the space to grow with us, organically. The garden area that is attached to the old post office has plans to be developed into
a food garden with an outdoor seating area. In summer we hope to be able to serve our guests under the stars,” says Brett. “We want to create a space where you can celebrate your engagement or just come for a quick cup of coffee. A locally run, locally supported space where everyone feels comfortable and welcome.” *
FOR MORE INFO Shop 13, Gillitts Shopping Centre, 1 Clifton Road; 082 381 9737; www.3603.co.za
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