5 minutes with Chef Freedom Nxele

5 minutes

with Chef Freedom Nxele

Scaling food planning and meal presentation in 5-star settings.

South African born Chef Freedom Nxele, a highly skilled, self-motivating and results-oriented culinary professional is well recognised by his peers as possessing an outstanding prowess in food and beverage management as well as banquet execution. Holding a Diploma in Professional Cookery, he went on to pursue numerous certifications including

Food Handling, Guest Relations and Environment

Standard. He currently works as the Food Experience Manager at a 5-star Wilderness Safaris property in Botswana where he shares his love for culinary arts with countless guests staying at the luxury bush camp he works at.

“I am thoroughly conversant in planning meals, while paying special attention to seasonal availability, training staff to effect good portion control and presentation of meals, banquet management and maintaining good customer relations,” says Chef Freedom when asked to share a little bit about what his day-to-day responsibilities entail.

He also carries excellent proficiency in mentoring subordinates and is passionate about the recruitment process that goes into hiring executives and food and beverage managers, showcasing his quick wit in problem solving and strategic thinking, especially given the needed comprehension of key functional principles, procedures and practices to excel at this position. Inside the kitchen But being a Food Experience Manager isn’t limited to experimenting in the kitchen with culinary ingredients. One needs to be an accomplished communicator with a knack for decision making under pressure, staying ahead of the curve in anticipating guest needs and varied preferences. In totality, Chef Freedom has worked in kitchens across the world for 15 years, which has granted him experience he is proud to have brought back to Mother Africa.

Chef Freedom’s top 3 dishes and their origins… • Foul Medames. I cooked this dish when I was in the Middle East. It’s a flavourful, vegetarian dish that’s an absolute delight for anyone looking for a meat-free option. • Oxtail. Still a favourite I think for most Africans. I cooked this dish in Germany to show case our African cuisine and it was a hit! • Tswii or Waterlily root. In Botswana I’m currently playing around with local dishes, and I tried this root and it turned out to be a beautiful pappardelle pasta which goes down very well with Arrabbiata Sauce

*Your top 3 favourite dishes and the accompanying beverage

• Linguine con Vongole which goes down well with a light crisp Sauvignon Blanc • Teriyaki bream fillet pairs well with full bodied Chardonnay and of course… beef oxtail with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot

“I love the fact that we get to experiment with different ingredients, be creative and showcase our love through food,” says Chef Freedom as he weighs in on where he draws his inspiration from in the kitchen.

Growth has come at a steady pace for Chef Freedom, and he is good about celebrating a multitude of milestones along the way, naming running a 650-seater restaurant with 34 chefs working under him as one of his major career highlights. He is proud of also having the opportunity to share an Africa inspired menu in Germany with international chefs and has also taken to food photography since working at luxury bush camps and finds this to be a passion he is developing further.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a good bit of time to develop our culinary creativity as chefs, especially given the downtime we all experienced with hotels, lodges and borders closing. What we will experience moving forward is a “new normal” and I believe that will usher in more creativity, especially as it relates to healthy dishes. After spending almost, a year in limited productivity and more than that for some still, most chefs are looking at ways to keep costs low, with preparation of healthier cuisine in a bid to promote wellness being at the fore of their culinary experimentation,” cites Chef Freedom.

Chef Freedom’s Wild Kalahari Truffled Samp & Beans

Ingredients 1kg samp 3 litres vegetable stock 2 onions, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves crushed 2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp Salt 100g butter 30 ml Kalahari truffle oil

Method 1. Pour off the water after soaking, place the samp and bean mix in a large saucepan 2. Cover Samp with stock, simmer until nearly soft (Add extra stock if necessary.) 3. Sautee garlic & onion in truffle oil 4. Add onion mixture and continue to simmer until Samp is soft 5. Season with black pepper and salt 6. Stir in butter