Jomandi, Stephen and Gabriel Templeton.
Stephen Templeton is the kind of guy you feel you trust the minute you meet him. He’s got that kind of rugged charisma that you’d expect from a ships captain, a top rugby coach, or in this case, the new Executive Chef of the Newmark Hotel’s Waterfront properties.
Newmark encompasses a number of properties in Cape Town, and Stephen’s remit is The Victoria and Alfred, The Dock House Boutique Hotel and Spa and the soon to be opened Queen Victoria, a luxury boutique hotel of about 30 rooms which will open next March, cheek by jowl with the Dock House which is across the road from the V&A.
His brief is a fascinating one from Newmark Hotels.
He has to modernise and revamp the V&A restaurant, Oyo. The V&A was the original hotel on the Waterfront. It even predates the entire V&A shopping area. It easily has the best view in Cape Town, and is right on the water.
Its restaurant, Oyo, does not register on the radar of locals. Stephen aims to change this, and make it a destination restaurant in its own right. For any hotel in Cape Town to have a funky buzzing restaurant is quite a feat.
Let’s face it, no other hotel in Cape Town has really been able to achieve it.
That’s a tall order. Can he do it?
I’ve no doubt that he can. He has just spent 5 years running his own restaurant in Montagu, The 4 Oaks. This was a Top 20 Eat Out restaurant.
When he arrived in Montagu there was such a shortage of seasonal fresh ingredients that he started growing his own. Eventually he had 350 gardens of locals producing fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit. He also opened a wineshop, selling 200 of South Africa’s best wines, including his own label. His approach was to use seasonal products, farmyard to fork. He even had his fresh fish couriered up from Gordon’s Bay each morning.
Prior to that Stephen has a CV that reads like a the diary of a travelling Adventurer Chef; working for Sol Kerzner in Sun City, 2 years on the QE2 luxury liner, Polana in Mozambique, the Drakensburg Sun, Spier Estate (he opened it), Terence Conran in London, Harrod’s in London (21 restaurants and a canteen where 4,500 staff ate every day).
Stephen is a creative guy, who understands the value of systems and procedures to encourage his chefs and staff to deliver a consistent product. He started this week, and with the opening of The Queen Vic and the revamp of the V&A I am looking forward to the results.
V&A Hotel,
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Hope he manages to produce something better than the lunch I had at Templeton’s a year ago. You didn’t mention he was also executive chef at The Mount Nelson.
Hi Michael, I never ate at Templeton’s . And I did forget to mention that he served time as Exec Chef at the Nellie. So you’re right there.
So here’s the thing. When Stephen gets going and the restaurant in the V&A is up and running to Stephen’s satisfaction how about you come along with me, at my invitation, to try the food and review it together?
Always a difficult job to go in a try to create something better than was there before. I wish Stephen the best. What a lovely family!
Clare, how could I refuse such an invitation
While driving across Route 62 on our 2006 holiday, we spent a memorable night at the Four Oaks in Mantagu, and had a wonderful dinner in Stephen Templeton’s restaurant. One of the highlights of our entire trip was the late-night, after dinner drinks my son and I had with Stephen and his staff, at the bar tasting great South African wines and learning about SA culture.
I am thinking about another trip to SA wine country and checked on the Four Oaks as a possible stopover again. I was surprised to learn of the sale of the B&B and restaurant. I Googled Stephen Templeton and learned of his new appointment to the V&A properties.
Good luck to him. I hope to see him again in Cape Town.
Great success it will be, a talented Head Chef and great guy! Best wishes to you Stephen!
Terrific work! That is the type of information that are supposed to be shared around the internet.