WHO IS NICOLAS VAN DER WALT? |
| “Living a dream…” I can only imagine that this is what this extraordinary Pastry Chef of the Saxon, ex-colleague and very dear friend of mine must feel when he wakes up every morning to tend so very dutifully to his department, fellow chefs and most importantly, his trainees. I have at so many occasions had the privilege of working with Nicolas and can safely admit that never before have I seen anybody create such unbelievable art out of sugar and chocolate like this man can! Try to picture this man playing gentle self composed tunes on his piano with a glass of wine on it, overshadowed by a beautiful decoration of sugar roses – his passion – a mise-en-place list on the counter next to the stainless steel rolling pin, hand held mill and you wouldn’t be far of from experiencing this master at home…. It takes a lot of patience to do what some say is a tedious monotonous job of cooking every day, but like Nicolas, I say that not a lot of people have the great fortune like us chefs, of turning passion into a profession and living the dream. Dedicated to training, one can only hope that Nicolas will one day focus solely on leaving behind a legacy in the South African and international pastry world, be this in the form of a documented book, training school or just plain friendship. Herewith a short version of achievements and a brief track record of Nicolas’ experiences both locally and abroad: |
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Executive pastry chef at the Saxon Hotel, Sandhurst, Johannesburg |
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