South Africa
RUDI LIEBENBERG
MOUNT NELSON HOTEL
Rudi Liebenberg undertook his training as a chef under Manfred Muellers at the Technikon Witwatersrand Hotel School. His first position was executive chef of the Parktonian All Suite Hotel, a position he held for two years before joining the elegant Park Hyatt in Rosebank as chef de cuisine for a year. In 2000, he joined Fedics and held the position of executive chef at Alexander Forbes within their exclusive five-star executive dining division. From 2001 to 2003, he joined the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Pretoria, before leaving to join the Michelangelo Hotel as executive chef for three years. In 2006, Rudi joined one of Gauteng’s foremost culinary training providers, the Prue Leith College of Food & Wine where he was principal and executive chef. His passion for the kitchen took him back into hotels when he joined the Saxon Hotel as executive chef in December 2006. During his time at the Saxon, the restaurant was awarded the Dine Top Ten Deluxe Restaurant for 2008, Eat Out People’s Choice Top Ten for Hotel Dining 2008, and was a finalist in the Eat Out Awards 2008. In April 2009, Rudi went to Cape Town, where he took up the challenging position of executive chef at one of South Africa’s oldest and finest hotels – the Mount Nelson, an institution renowned internationally as part of Orient Express for its world class food.
Not only has Rudi worked in some of Gauteng’s top hotels, he has also competed in numerous prestigious local and international competitions. He has won a number of medals in Salons Culinaire, including a bronze medal in 1997, a silver medal and first position in 1998, a silver medal in 1999, two bronze medals and overall first place in 2000 and another silver medal later the same year and two bronze medals in 2001. He competed in the Nestlé Golden Chefs Hat competition in 2001, achieving second place. He has also entered the Fresh Mushroom Challenge twice, winning it in 2000 and achieving first runner-up in the Chef de Cuisine category, and overall first place in the Mushroom Menu category in 2005. In 2004, Rudi competed as part of Team South Africa in the IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt winning three silvers and one bronze medal.
Where did you train?
Wits Hotel School.
Career history:
Mount Nelson, Executive chef
Saxon Boutique Hotel and Spa, Executive chef
Prue Leith Chef College of Food & Wine, Principal/Executive chef
Michelangelo Hotel, Executive chef
Sheraton, Executive chef
Hyatt, Chef de cuisine
Parktonian, Executive chef
Tropicana
What inspires you?
Fresh ingredients, any object and art.
What’s your best-ever culinary creation?
Not done yet.
What will you remember as your funniest moment in the kitchen?
When I threw my whole kitchen staff out of the kitchen during a false fire alarm. No one understood why I was going insane, it was only an alarm.
Who would you list as your mentors?
Trevor Basson, Thomas Keller.
What’s a typical day in your kitchen?
Orders, training, menu development, meetings, cooking.
How do you keep up to date with trends?
I read.
What’s a trend that’s inspiring you at the moment?
Freshness, not over-working food. simplicity
What are your current favourite ingredients?
Lamb, tomatoes, peas.
What are your favourite restaurants at the moment?
Le Quartier Francais.
What’s your all-time favourite restaurant?
Le Quartier Francais.
What’s your favourite comfort food?
Pizza with chilli and parma ham.
Who would you most like to cook for?
My mother.
What’s your can’t-do-without utensil?
Chef’s knife and thermo-blender.
What’s the best cooking advice you ever received?
“Stop playing with your food”.
What will you do with your R40 000 if you win the competition?
Have not thought of it yet.
