His personal vision for the hotel’s food and beverage outlets is simple: “I want to create a clear and unique culinary identity for the hotel which is informed and inspired by modern tastes but has its roots planted firmly in the hotel’s rich heritage”.
Rudi’s no-nonsense approach to cooking and kitchen etiquette is refreshing. He’s slow to lose his cool and down-to-earth despite his numerous accolades and awards (in 2008 alone he represented South Africa in the Culinary Olympics; won an award for Consistent Artistry in the Dine Chefs Choice Awards; was a nominee in the Eat Out Top 20 Chefs Awards, and he was awarded an Eat Out People’s Choice Top Ten Award for Hotel Dining).
Despite undergoing formal training at Wits University, it was Rudi’s mother who instilled in him a passion for food and taught him the basics. He is inspired by international chefs Marco Pierre White, Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter, and his all time favourite ingredient is the humble tomato.
Visitors to Mount Nelson Hotel over the next few months can look forward to a fresh line-up of dishes which take inspiration from the hotel’s past. The Afternoon Tea buffet promises to offer all the delicacies it is famous for and new classic sweet and savoury items with a modern twist, while everyday Oasis Restaurant will have a stronger Mediterranean flavour and an emphasis on best-loved comfort cooking. The menu at fine-dining Cape Colony Restaurant will reflect the flavours of the past reinvented with a strong emphasis on seasonal local ingredients, elegance and affordability.
When Rudi isn’t in the hotel kitchen you’re likely to find him at home with his wife and two children making fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli with Napoletana sauce.
FAST FACTS
Ten things you didn’t know about Rudi Liebenberg…
Best Cape Town restaurant? (apart from Mount Nelson) Bread and Wine or Jardine.
Best thing to do on a Sunday? Lunch with my wife and kids.
Favourite city in the world? Amsterdam.
Top five kitchen essentials? A Thermomix; sharp knife; saffron; tomatoes; olive oil.
If you weren’t a chef what would you be? An artist.
Best thing about living in Cape Town? The magnificent wine estates.
Most precious possession? A Culinary Olympic medal.
What would you cook with ZAR50? Spaghetti with garlic, chilli and Parmesan.
And with ZAR5000? A huge paella.
And with ZAR5 million? A tasting menu featuring the likes of Dalmare 62 Highland Malt Scotch Whiskey, Beluga caviar with warm mashed potatoes and sour cream, Kobe Beef, Iberico ham, roasted lamb with porchini mushroom tortellini and Kopi Lawak coffee.
For press assistance contact Benita Kursan on +27 0 21 483 1930, email bkursan@mountnelson.co.za.
For more information on Orient-Express visit www.orient-express.com, and for more information on Mount Nelson Hotel visit www.mountnelson.co.za.
Orient-Express (www.orient-express.com) is a hotel and travel company focused on the luxury end of the leisure market with many iconic and highly acclaimed properties. Founded in 1976 when the company acquired the Hotel Cipriani in Venice, Orient-Express has grown to encompass 51 businesses, including 41 highly individual hotels across five continents, two restaurants, two river cruise operations and six tourist trains, including the fabled Venice Simplon-Orient-Express which operates through Europe, linking London, Paris and Venice.
Orient-Express chooses to own or part-own and manage its businesses, and continues to seek out unique properties with expansion potential and to introduce new experiences, restoring romance, glamour and style to international travel.
