Meet SA’s new flavour king – Chef Marcus

What has been great to witness in the South African culinary space – is the rise of young chefs taking up centre stage as well as local traditional cuisine being served in restaurants across the country.

Growing up in a mining town in the North West, with a family that loves food and cooking, Chef Marcus Modimokwane was radiant when discussing his love for the culinary world and the growing demand to have local cuisine when dining out with The Citizen.

He says he finds inspiration every day by simply scanning hundreds of recipes to come up with new menus, assisted by his studies at Capsicum Culinary Studio. 

Having graduated in 2018, he became a private chef for big corporates, and soon after founded his own business, The Flavour Studio.

Excitedly he informs us that he just signed a deal with Warner Music Africa as one of their new clients, a clear showing of how quickly his star continues to rise.

His energy and personality shines through as he describes himself as a people person. “I love meeting new faces, trying new recipes, finding those hidden gems,” Chef Marcus says.  

The Flavour Studio is an inventive company that offers catering, product development and brand collaboration. Chef Marcus says he loves exploring new flavours, “They call me ‘Dora the Explorer’. I am not stuck on one cultural cuisine, I like exploring around. I try to bring together two or three different cultures”.

He gives an example of a dish he would make, such as a local curry with risotto (Italian inspired) and finishing it off with a Taiwanese sauce. 

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He is a big fan of Mogodu Mondays and taking these trends worldwide. Mogodu Monday sees cafés, restaurants, and shisanyama spots serving large portions of this delicacy.

It consists of fresh mala mogodu (tripe and intestines), amaqina (trotters or chicken feet), and sheep’s head which usually go well with pap, samp or dumplings.

Another aspect he is trying to challenge is having the norm of more local spices and sauces in big retail stores. The Flavour Studio does most of this work, researching new products and assisting brands in product development. 

Chef Marcus reveals it’s a very challenging task to open the doors for locally produced products, however, they are having conversations with retail stores, such as Food Lovers Market, to get township brands on their shelves.

Having gained inspiration from all over, locally he admires Chef of the Year Wandile Mabaso‘s talent, Nthabiseng Ramaboa “Chef Nti” and Chef Katlego Mlambo.

“You see young black chefs releasing cookbooks, such as the Lazy Makoti, and on TV. The industry is changing, and the love and drive are locally rooted. I’ve never been so happy because of this.”

He envisions himself travelling to Italy, explaining the country can help expand his flavour profile. Italy is one of the top food destinations in the world, from its pasta, cheeses, gelato and pizza.

“We have to go out there and bring back more skills and I think that would help our economy,” he adds.

For the chef it’s important to continue evolving the food scene and have more young people participate in it.

With plans of opening a restaurant next year, he wants his establishment to be affordable dining. Gone are the days of having R200 lunches.

Chef Marcus says his restaurant will be a lounge with a five star experience, with a budget. A relaxed setting, with good food and wine.

He hopes it’s cost-effective, utilising local supplies only to avoid customers paying R400 for a piece of steak.

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Going forward Chef Marcus says he is not camera shy and that having his own cooking show is a dream, believing people will get to experience the core of his cooking on this type of platform.