Reuben Riffel treats guests at announcement of acquisition

"I am always looking for new ways to do things, but simplicity is always the key. Someone once called my menus unstructured, which I consider a compliment. My aim is to compile simple menus that include whatever I find fresh that day," he says.

That is exactly what Riffel did at a Compass Group Southern Africa event, attended by 160 guests, to announce its Supercare acquisition in Johannesburg last month. For a starter, he prepared a selection of canapés that included cheese and curry samoosas with salsa, prawn toast and chicken liver peri peri. For his main, Riffel prepared beef fillet with bone marrow, potato croquette, carrot honey purée and bordelaise jus. Finally, he served a selection of desserts with crepe suzette, ice cream and steamed pudding.

Some of the canapés that he prepared had been previously offered but most of the menu was completely new. Riffel is inspired by seasonality, fresh food and South African traditional flavours.

Partnership brings many benefits

If he is not cooking he is involved with training the youth. That is why he partnered with Compass Group SA - to tackle the hospitality sector's national skills shortage head on. "It is a partnership that brings with it several benefits, including state-of-the-art menus, a new dimension to our staff recruitment, a new level of training and development, and an on-going celebrity presence," says Monwabisi Kalawe, chairman of Compass Group SA.

Kalawe says their decision to partner with Riffel had been prompted by the company strategy that continuously aimed to raise eating to new levels. "Riffel knows how to excite people's appetites; it is a talent that we expect to be emulated by the team of Compass Group SA chefs whose job it is to produce food that promotes satisfaction and wellness," says Kalawe.

Compass Group SA services sites range from mining villages, hospitals, staff restaurants, secondary and tertiary educational institutions, through to travel concessions. "The services we provide are inspired by our ongoing quest to satisfy our clients and expose them to evolving trends in the food industry," says Kalawe.