The talented Executive Chef Natalie Schoonbee-Rozentvaig of Courtyard Hotel Waterfall City answers a few quick fire questions put to her by Business Events Africa:

How old are you? I am 30 years old.

What is your signature dish? Brief description plus which wine would you recommend accompany this dish. How can any self-respecting chef summarise their work’s obsession into a single signature dish? Wow, this is a confronting and challenging question for me! To be honest, I don’t have a signature dish, however, most of my dishes have my signature touch – some of the dishes on our menu are created by other members in my team and so those ones don’t carry my signature as strongly. I think if I’m ever going to have a signature dish, then it’s still to come. On the Protea Restaurant menu is the prawn and truffle pasta. This pasta has delicious prawns as well as a rich truffle, white wine and lemon zest cream sauce, and I recommend ordering it with linguini. The pasta is finished with a generous amount of parmesan and topped with our semi-dried cherry tomatoes and fresh chives.

My wine pairing recommendations for this dish, (from The Protea restaurant’s spectacular wine list) include: Krone Borealis Brut, Tokara Chardonnay, Vrede en Lust Sauvignon Blanc, as well as our new Easy White house wine, which is a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc by Diemersfontein and Thokozani.

What food trends are emerging in conferencing? To me, conferencing seems to typically have a ‘safe’ quality to it and in comparison to the rest of the industry, I wouldn’t characterise conferencing as being a top trend-setter – not from what I’ve seen, anyway. The main reason for this is conference food prioritises practicality over innovation, with large-scale catering focusing on consistency, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency while ensuring broad appeal.

Nonetheless, conferencing is definitely seeing a drive towards better quality produce and a higher standard of sophistication; we’re seeing more Harvest tables and individualised bowl food options, for instance. This has become very popular, reminiscent perhaps of the Banting and Tapas trends that swept South Africa more than a decade ago. To me, sounding boards like Michelin, Relais et Château and Eat Out Awards forever present us with a world of international inspiration and healthy competition. I tend to look to them when analysing trends.

What has remained constant in this industry? A constant in this industry is the uncapped potential a chef can have with a handful of fresh ingredients to inspire joy in their family, friends, and even a room full of total strangers.

What is your favourite beverage? Coffee, hands down.

What is your favourite food? Chocolate is my favourite food.

What is your pet hate? My pet hate in the kitchen is when we run out of gas, or an oven breaks down – technical issues.

What is your great love? My great love is of art and nature, but my greatest love is my wife, Fiona.

Are you married? I am happily married.

What role does family play? My family is my utmost priority and they play a vital role in inspiring my work, as well as in helping me to express creativity and to regulate my stress.

Are you adventurous? If yes, what is the most adventurous thing you have ever done? I am extremely adventurous and I love to be in nature, where I find much of my inspiration. With food, I am open to tasting just about anything!