One at Cavalli with Chef Michael Deg

Deg chats about his ‘ONE at Cavalli’ concept, his culinary inspiration, his favourite Spring flavours and his vision for the restaurant.

Chef Michael Deg (Image Supplied)

‘ONE at Cavalli’ sounds intriguing... what’s this new concept about?

By introducing ‘ONE at Cavalli’ I want to place emphasis on simplicity – on moving away from overcomplicated, fussy dishes. The philosophy hinges on using fewer, garden-fresh ingredients and letting the quality of the produce shine, whilst still focusing on beautiful presentation.

Each month, I’ll be working with my inspired team to create magic with just one single hero ingredient, which we’ll add to our evolving menu. Aside from getting my team’s creative juices flowing and celebrating the unique flavours, textures, colours and aromas of the ingredient of the month, creating in this way also keeps things exciting for guests.

Everyday Gourmet with Cavalli's new winter menu

Ruth Cooper  31 May 2017

In a world where fresh ingredients are indeed reaching deity status, please tell us more about your approach to sourcing yours.

I only work with select reputable suppliers, with whom we can build a trustworthy relationship. We also use lots of vegetables from our very own garden, and we only use our own salad leaves, herbs, micro shoots and edible flowers which are picked for us every day. This ensures all our ingredients are not only fresh but are also in season and is harvested at the correct time. I’m also focusing on using local produce as much as possible.

Image Supplied

What are some of the rewards of working with seasonal and locally sourced produce?

Food definitely tastes better using in-season produce, it also allows us to showcase amazing local produce from the Western Cape.

We’d love to hear about what kicked your inner chef into gear, tell us a little more about the journey that led you along the scenic culinary driveway to Cavalli?

After matric, I had an absolute passion for food but was unclear on how to channel it. I attended Christina Martin School of Wine in Durban. After graduating in 2014 I moved to Dublin, Ireland and called it home for the best part of ten years. I started cooking in good restaurants and knew instantly that I loved being a chef. The life of a chef life is not for everyone, the hours are long, the kitchen is hot, the pay is terrible, and usually, there is a grumpy head chef shouting at you all day, but I loved the “madness” of it! I worked my way up to sous chef and then in 2011 my wife and I came on holiday to the Winelands and fell in love with the beauty and the food. It took three years of planning but at the end of 2013, we finally settled in Stellenbosch.

There are only so many hours in a day. Give us a little taste as to how you spend yours?

My day at work starts around 7.30am, usually with a strong coffee. The morning prep time which happens from around 8am to 11.30am is the most important time of the day in the kitchen. This is when all the planning is done for most of the lunch and dinner services. I overlook all sections of the kitchen making sure everything is set for the day. I also like to work on and experiment with new and upcoming dishes in the morning.

Before lunch, I usually catch up with the pastry chef and the sous chef and we discuss any issues and ideas that need to be implemented. Lunch starts at 12pm and finishes around 3pm. I work every service, running the pass and making sure all dishes are served to my standards. I love working services and really enjoy the rush of a busy lunch or dinner. After lunch, I do all the ordering for the next day including going to our estate vegetable garden and seeing what can be harvested for us.

Dinner starts at 6pm and runs through until around 10pm. We then deep clean the kitchen and make sure it’s in the perfect state to start all over again the next day. Then it’s home for a large glass of wine!

Everyone always wants to know, what does a successful chef like to eat at home? And is it you who does the cooking?

I love cooking at home, when I was young I used to get very "cheffy" at home and try new ideas, but now I just enjoy cooking simple things that taste great and are easy to prepare. Fish is a big favourite at home, especially local trout which just gets pan-fried and served with some buttered asparagus and fresh peas. My wife Collette is a very competent cook – she’s a big fan of Rick Stein’s recipe books and will often spend the whole afternoon cooking. I love these days because it means I get to put my feet up.

Your favourite dish on the Cavalli menu? What should we be ordering?

We’re serving a 10-hour slow cooked pork cheek cooked in a master stock, it’s as soft as butter. We serve it with pork scratching, naartjie gel, pickled naartjie, goats cheese croquette, rocket and chilli pesto. It’s a whack of umami and ticks all the boxes in terms of texture, acidity and sweetness.

Cavalli dish by Michael Deg: Slow-cooked pork cheek, cooked in master stock, pickled naartjie, chilli, pesto, goats cheese croquette, crackling

What appealed to you most about working with the team at Cavalli Estate?

We have a young group of chefs who are very keen to learn, this to me is very exciting: to lead and teach these young promising chefs and mould them into a great team of chefs. We also have a state of the art kitchen making cooking at Cavalli an absolute pleasure.

What’s your favourite food trend right now?

Making things from scratch is popular at the moment, including homemade charcuterie, pickles, biltong, cheese and condiments. I think it’s a great way to learn new techniques, appreciate raw ingredients and get a better understanding of them. Growing your own is also becoming very popular and makes one appreciate how temperamental and challenging it is to grow food.

What’s the best cooking advice you’ve been given? And who was it that uttered these words of culinary wisdom?

When I was a young commis chef working in Dublin at a very upmarket busy kitchen, I was very intimidated by the level of cooking by the chefs. I thought I would never be good enough to keep my job, I got very stressed about making mistakes. One day the sous chef Graeme “Dodge” Dodrill, pulled me into the fridge, he said: “Mickey stop stressing, we only cooking food… we are not doctors saving lives.” I tell these exact words to my junior chefs now.

Three restaurants in your opinion every foodie should have on their bucket list? Including Cavalli estate of course!

Waterkloof, Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia and Terroir.

What’s your favourite ingredient to cook with?

This is a difficult question, as I like to cook with the seasons and so throughout the year I have different favourites depending on the weather and on my mood. At the moment I love kale and this was, therefore, my choice for ‘ONE at Cavalli’ in the month of November.

How would you say the foodie scene in and around Cape Town has evolved since you started?

The general public is becoming much more aware and educated about good food and produce, there are also many more good quality restaurants opening all the time, causing chefs to ‘up’ their game. It’s very exciting to be part of this.

Any secret tips for favourite hang-outs and retail therapy nearby? Where can Chef Michael Deg be spotted if not at Cavalli?

I’m a big fan of Spek and Bone and The Fat Butcher in Stellenbosch, I think they are just unfussy, everyday local places serving great food and good wine. I also love the R44 market on the weekend and could spend the whole day eating my way around the market.

Visions, aspiration and endeavours for Cavalli?

I’m definitely keen on placing much greater emphasis on vegan and vegetarian dishes, as we all know our health is our greatest wealth. The demand for good quality vegetarian dishes is growing and we’re in the process of making Cavalli the Winelands destination of choice for vegans and vegetarians. Soon, there will also be a tasting menu paired exclusively with Cavalli wine for dinner, where we showcase the dishes with the estate’s wine portfolio – even one with a vegetarian tasting menu!