Wanted Food - Steve Steinfeld aka The Joburg Foodie

Our editor Siphiwe Mpye speaks to Wanted Food columnist, Steve Steinfeld. Steinfeld, or The Joburg Foodie, as many will know him, writes our ‘Hot Seat’ column, reviewing the very best restaurants in South Africa and the world. In our July Issue, Steinfeld wrote about a pilgrimage to Modena, Italy, to interview Canadian Chef Jessica Rosval. Rosval is head chef at Al Gatto Verde, a restaurant at Casa Maria Luigia, Chef Massimo Bottura’s s three-Michelin-key boutique hotel set, in the Modena countryside.
In this episode, you’ll hear about Rosval, Al Gatto Verde’s unique dishes cooked on fire, sustainability and how the sense of family or community in Bottura’s universe shines through. Steve also speaks about another Rosval project, Roots restaurant. A self-sustaining social initiative that welcomes migrant women from all over the world and imparts culinary and operational skills that equip them with the tools to find employment or open their establishments.
Later in the chat, he explores trends in the South African culinary scene – from the slowdown in new restaurant openings at the beginning of the year and social initiatives by local chefs; to the increasing Africanisation of menus and what we can expect from him in the next while.