For Chantel, cooking has always been the one thing that comes naturally: “I love cooking to relax, when I’m happy and inspired; and also when I’m sad, it gives me a natural high.” Chantal once played with the idea, for about 3 seconds, of becoming an interior designer, but that idea soon passed when she got behind her stove and copper pots again. Cooking appeals to her, where the only boundaries, she says, “Are the ones we create for ourselves”. In the kitchen, she finds an absolute freedom to express herself. After finishing school Chantel enrolled at the Prue Leith College of Food and Wine in Centurion (now the Prue Leith Chef’s Academy). Never one to aim low, upon graduating she fired off letters to a number of chefs she admired, one of whom was Nico Ladenis. Something in the letter appealed to the Michelin starred Chef, who offered her a position of commis chef in the kitchen of his restaurant, Chez Nico at Ninety Park Lane, in London. It was a big break, and one that worked her fingers to the bone. At that time Nico and Marco Pierre White were the only British Chefs in possession of 3 Michelin Stars. In his presence, Chantel learned that the number of flavours in a dish should be kept to an elegant minimum – a case of too many flavours spoiling the broth – and it remains a principle she maintains to a delicious advantage at her restaurant.

It was also Ladenis who shared with her his experience that; “The quest for perfection will lead you to role models that will last you for life”, himself to become one of them. People like Nico Ladenis, Alain Ducasse and Marco Pierre White set the standards by which Chantel measured herself. Even virtually penniless in London, Chantel kept her priorities straight, and saved for months, until she could afford a meal at one of their establishments – using them as a tool to monitor her own progress as an emerging young chef. While these experiences advanced her technical skills, her style of food remains her own. Bits and pieces have been borrowed far and wide and incorporated into what Chantel describes as “modern European with nuances of the East”. Its roots remain French, an approach to cooking that has drawn her from the start.

Chantel’s inspiration for her seasonal menus, where you will find dishes like cauliflower panna cotta with a duo of caviar; Gardenia sorbet and beef fillet medallions with Day Lillies and ratatouille, is inspired by nature. She and her kitchen team, Izanne Mocke and Agnes Molutsi, share the philosophy of taking their cuisine ‘back to nature’. Says Chantel,  “I’m constantly amazed at the potential unlocked in individuals when they are allowed to explore and create. At the moment the threesome are busy devising their new autumn menu which will focus on trios – three different components of one ingredient on your plate. “Great fun!” they say.

Chantal Dartnall was a participant in the Sunday Times Chef of the Year Award 2008 and Restaurant Mosaic one of the Eat Out Top Ten Restaurants 2008 and Dine Top Ten Restaurants 2008.

Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient Boutique Hotel, Francolin Conservation Area, Elandsfontein, Crocodile River Valley, Pretoria. Call:
012 371-2902/3/4/5/6/7/8 or visit www.restaurantmosiac.com