At Protea Hotel Centurion, conference delegates are in for a culinary treat. SA Conference chats with the hotels’ executive chef, Graham Langefeld
- Describe yourself in three words?
Passionate, Driven and creative. - How has the food and beverage industry changed over the past five years?
The guest has become more knowledgeable about food and beverage so this has forced us to become more out of the box and more creative 
What are some of the trends you see in the food and beverage industry?
One of the new trends is to fuse comfort food which is generally heavy with lighter food and that is what we have tried to do with the menu’s at Emanzini, we have tried to create a marriage between the two.- What would you say is the number one mistake people make when it comes to catering for conferences?
The biggest mistake people tend to make is cooking heavy greasy foods for conference lunch’s we try to keep our food as light as possible so the delegates don’t fall asleep after lunch in the conference room - What are your five catering top tips?
Keep it simple, keep to local products, keep it seasonal, cook fresh and above all plan plan and plan - How do you present ‘plain’ food in a way that makes it look appealing to delegates?
We try to plate items individually and use different shapes and sizes of plates and bowls. - What dish are you asked to make most often?
Ox0tail. People just love our oxtail. - What is your signature dish?
Our take on a local favourite “Chesa nayama” it is grilled sirloin with biltong and corn infused pap, butternut puree, creamed spinach and a spicy sheba sauce. - Why did you decide you wanted to become a chef?
Cooking is in my blood I have loved cooking from a young age, as the saying goes “some people are born with a silver spoon in their hands” well I was born with a wooden spoon in my hand.
