EatOut Print Magazine | Exploring ‘ the gatherer’ with a focus on FYN
A few excerpts from an article on FYN fine dining restaurant commissioned by EatOut24 for their quarterly print magazine. The article required an interview with Peter Templehoff to get a better understanding of his approach to foraging in fine dining.
The gatherer: the role of foraging in modern fine-dining restaurants
We were foragers long before we were ever celebrity chefs. Somewhere between the invention of the wheel, industrial farming and microwave dinners, we left all that behind. While interest in wild and fresher ingredients have been on the rise since the 70’s, it’s our impact on the environment that has seen a sharp surge in food foraged and farmed in communion with the land.
Peter Templehof, Chef and owner of FYN – a man passionate about menus built around foraged ingredients – shared his time, passion and insights with us.
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Foraging isn’t finders keepers
It’s not as simple as strolling up the mountain or into the coastal pools and picking a few things to cook with. Nature doesn’t grow in monoculture rows or in cages submerged in the tide. Nature defined ‘organic and free range’ before we comercialised the approaches.Peter tells us, you need a knowledge of what plant species you’re looking for to avoid the toxic, endangered or plain inedible plants. You also need a license …
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Hungry for succulent food?
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Mesembryanthemum vanrensburgii, known as ‘strandspinasie’ to those who know how to find it, is a succulent, whose leaves are indeed spinach-like with crunchy, asparagus-esque stems. For Peter this ‘cape spinach’ is now a culinary wonder plant. …
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Yes, but did you taste the land?
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Gastronomically, this may set SA cuisine apart even further as a true-to-soil fine-dining experience – one that honours our heritage and singularises our tourism. Imagine tasting what our lands have grown for generations, what only our hands can bring to elevation?
“Using our country’s own ingredients ads integrity to the dining experience, especially for people visiting our region and wanting to taste it!” – Peter Templehoff
With foraging in fine dining, the world can have our plate, and eat it too.
Read the full article in the EatOut 2024 Issue.