Training kitchen staff and re-energising hospitality kitchens is all in a day’s work for Ruvé van der Merwe, who recently assisted our teams in revitalising the Extraordinary food offering.
Food is such an integral part of the travel experience. When people stay at our lodges they want memorable experiences, and that includes delicious dishes served up in spectacular settings.
Food trainer, facilitator and all-round food guru Ruvé van der Merwe was recruited to create a unique Extraordinary food philosophy across all its properties. The brief was to create meals and recipes that would be fresh, local, tasty, healthy and interesting, while also addressing sustainability issues such as food waste, and upskilling staff as part of our skills development targets and initiatives.
General Manager Operations, Wouter Pienaar, says Ruvé’s expertise and influence have had a profound impact on both menus and staff training and morale over the past year.
“The results have been amazing – our food journey has been finely honed to represent the group’s individual style of luxury and exclusivity. There has been a natural flow into our F&B from a serving and wine-pairing perspective and the guest feedback is outstanding, with our reviews being flooded by positive comments”
Current Trends – Tailormade and Sustainable
According to Ruvé, it’s important to look at the modern traveller, because tourism these days is an immersive journey – and food is an integral part of exploring a destination.
She says, “Travellers are increasingly realising that the culture, history, and identity of a place are intricately woven into its culinary traditions, and local cuisines are now the gateway to unlocking the essence of a country.”
On the topic of trends, she identifies several key movements she believes are here to stay. Sustainability tops the list, followed by heightened attention to hygiene in the post-pandemic world. She also notes the rising popularity of meat-free options, “functional” foods that promise health benefits, and the increasing demand for more exotic and adventurous flavours.
Healthy, Tasty and Beautifully Presented
Travellers are also looking for healthy eating options, which is where functional foods like vitamin-enriched food or protein-high products come into the picture, but they also want to be served gorgeous dishes that are exciting and imaginative.
Interactive sessions with our teams on reinventing menus and creating exciting new recipes highlighted the importance of plating, presentation and service.
Extraordinary recognises meal presentation as an art form that engages all five senses, and our teams have continued to follow the cues – by fully engaging in their own personal creativity. A spirit of playfulness in the training sessions has been contagious, with our chefs and kitchen staff taking great pains to ensure beautiful presentations to delight our guests.
Sustainability is Key
The concept of sustainability is much broader than eating and buying local and paying attention to food waste and has been part of the broader group philosophy for a number of years. We believe that the hospitality industry needs to be accountable when it comes to sustainability on all levels and Ruvé is pleased with all the interventions in place at Extraordinary to address waste (and plastic), water and using local produce.
“To win over customers, chefs and restaurants must show themselves as a partner to the environment. This means incorporating sustainable processes,” says Ruvé.”
The Transformative Power of Continuous Learning
With a full understanding of the power of food to connect, inspire, and transform, Extraordinary emphasises the importance of continuous learning and improvement in the hospitality industry.
“The need for adaptability, innovation, and openness to transformation to keep pace with evolving guest preferences and industry trends is key,” says Wouter Pienaar.
“Our teams at all the lodges and properties are certainly richer for having learnt on Ruvé’s expertise, kindness, and vision of the future.”
Imbali Safari Lodge’s Chef Addy (Adelhari) Ndlovu has loved the experience of fine-tuning his cheffing skills and taking things up a notch or two.
He says, “Extraordinary has made it possible for Hamiltons Tented Camp to take our dining experiences to the next level through this incredible programme – we all feel inspired and thankful for the opportunity to learn and improve.”
Chef Mamazana Kekana at Clifftop Exclusive Safari Hideaway (Welgevonden) says it has been a privilege to work under Ruvé’s mentorship.
She says, “The energy, inspiration, and guidance are invaluable assets to our operations.
The opportunity to raise our personal and professional standards and therefore take our guests’ culinary experience to a new level is much appreciated.”
At Extraordinary, we are very grateful for this opportunity, which has given us time, energy, and a sharing of ideas – the development of our food journey to create a better world through great food and transformative culinary experiences.
Click here to Download Ruvé’s favourite dish of the moment – Deluxe Dark Chocolate Mousse.
