Our blog editor Joy was recently in the pretty town and had a chat to Gordon, head chef and Slow Food believer.
While waiting for Gordon Wright in the lounge of Andries Stockenström, I had a few minutes to page through his best-selling cook book, From Veld to Fork – and couldn’t put it down. Not only were the pages crammed with delicious looking meals, but the introduction, written by Gordon and his wife Rose, was a fascinating one, and well worth the read should you decide to add this book to your own collection.
And you should – it was the winner of the 2013 Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the category of Best Chef in South Africa.
Gordon was a school boy in Graaff-Reinet and life brought him and back many years later, with his family in tow. A spontaneous decision led to he and Rose deciding to buy a guest house (Andries Stockenström) and on-site restaurant, despite neither of them having any experience in either industry, although Gordon had always enjoyed cooking for friends. When they opened their doors on April Fool’s Day in the 2008 at the start of the recession, they decided if they could survive the next few years they’d be able to make it – and they sure have!
Obsessed with bringing back traditional food to a town where you could readily find a Med-style tramezzini above a sumptuous yet simple Karoo dish, Gordon describes Andries Stockenström as ‘a restaurant with rooms’ because food is clearly the main focus here. The eatery itself is simply called Gordon’s Restaurant and was the first ‘Slow Food’ restaurant in South Africa. He is passionate about using local produce and knowing exactly where every ingredient comes from. Almost every food he uses must come from within a 40km radius and apart from owning two vegetable gardens himself, he also encourages local farmers and even his own staff to grow produce that he can buy directly from them. When it comes to meat, Gordon prefers to hunt his own locally, and uses every part of the animal – for example the interview we had was conducted on deep leather couches made from the hide of buck he’d personally hunted. He also fishes when required.
Gordon runs popular, tailor-made cooking schools targeted at a specific market – like-minded people who want to experience food in a new way, sourced by themselves during the course, then prepared together and ultimately enjoyed – imagine knowing exactly where each bite of your meal came from! During your stay you’ll have the opportunity to hunt if you wish too. The restaurant seats just 20 and usually those seats are taken up by in-house guests, 85% of which are foreigners. Rose meanwhile runs the guest house side of things with a small team of well trained, friendly staff.
Gordon and Rose believe in marketing from the outside in – first South Africa, then the Eastern Cape, then Graaff-Reinet, and then their own establishment. So they are very supportive of other local businesses and love to see the region and town thrive.
Gordon’s attitude to life can be summarized in his last words during the interview: “Just flippen’ chill out and enjoy your food!”
