Chef Chesray Assur Executive Sous Chef at the Cape Grace Hotel

Bio

For Chef Chesray, cooking is a passion. Despite not being classically trained, he says he got into cooking “mainly to stay out of trouble.” After getting an opportunity at the President Hotel, where he worked for a few years, he headed to USA. In the US, he worked in various hotels and restaurants. There he focused on banqueting, private dinners, wine & spirit pairings, personalised menus and private cooking classes. When he came back to South Africa, he worked in various restaurants and restaurant projects. He then worked as the Executive Sous Chef at the Westin Hotel and recently joined Cape Grace as the Executive Sous Chef.

How would you describe a chef versus a home cook, and why do you think that cooking at home can be as much fun as in a chef’s kitchen?

The thing about cooking is that everyone has their own style and people should not be afraid to learn and experiment. Cooking at home, whether for yourself or for your family, is all about the love and effort you put in. Cooking together as a family is very similar to a chef’s kitchen. It is all about bringing joy. About working as a team to create something special together.

How would you describe your overall cooking philosophy?

Cooking should be an opportunity to learn and express yourself. The kitchen should be a place of development and collaboration. I like to work closely with my team and encourage them to use influences from their culture, background and experience to create something new and exciting. Drawing on culture and local inspirations. Anything can be an inspiration for your next exciting dish.

Name the three kitchen tools you can’t do without?

1. Chef tongs, because they have so many uses and they should be a staple for all chefs. You can do so much with it.

2. A quality chef’s knife. It is the foundation of a quality kitch- en and you can do some much more with a quality knife. Sometimes it feels like the chef’s knife choses you. A good chef should have at least four different knives. My favourite is the Victorinox Pastry Serrated Knife.

3. The humble kitchen towel. Not only does it ensure cleanliness in the kitchen but it also allows you to work with different temperatures. Cooking over an open flame is a lot more fun and allows you to create a very natural flavor.

How would you include wine paring in a menu?

A wine paring can be very personal. You get the opportunity to examine the backstory of the wine. Where does it come from, what was the process of making that wine? Once you know that backstory, you can match it to certain food flavours. The soil, the grapes, the efforts of the winemakers and the food all plays a part of that story.

How do you control the quality and consistency of dishes to ensure customer satisfaction?

The first step you take is to ensure that you work with quality suppliers. It is very important to work with local small suppliers because they know their products intimately. That way you can ensure that, you always get quality and you that you work www.sharpedge.co.za