A simple toasted cheese sandwich is sometimes the dish most enjoyed by Mr Eugene Viljoen (28).
This manager of Mugg & Bean in the Secunda Mall, is actually a chef in fine cuisine and has a stern knowledge of wines.
He was born and raised in Standerton as the youngest of three boys.
“I grew up in a very technical family and basically, I was able to weld by age five,” said Mr Viljoen.
Despite his technical background, Mr Viljoen was intrigued by television programmes on fine dining and photographs of exquisite cuisine.
He describes this culinary skill as “Picture perfect food”.
“I liked the challenge that accompanied preparing food for fine dining.
“That is what motivated me to go to Morgenzon Landbou Akademie.
“I had my sights set on the hospitality studies that included the hotel and catering industry.”
Mr Viljoen describes himself as an introvert who hardly does things on the spur of the moment or on impulse.
He likes to think things through and evaluates long term outcomes before making a decision.
It is therefore no surprise that he also kept his technical path paved throughout high school and even considered a career as civil engineer. He also maintained top marks throughout his school years.
Mr Viljoen eventually opted to attend the Warwick’s Chef School in Hermanus, a culinary school where only a selected few are chosen per term.
“I went on a tour of the wine route before attending chef school and I realised I needed to know more about wine. After all, I was going to attend an elite institute in the Cape where I assumed everyone was clued up on wine,” explained Mr Viljoen.
He then enrolled at the Cape Wine Academy for six months prior to going to chef school.
“It turned out that at chef school, I actually knew more about wine than the other students and achieved the top score in the wine exam,” said Mr Viljoen.
The most valuable lesson he learned from the wine studies is to appreciate good wine and how to spot good wine.
“It becomes an acquired taste and every good wine can be described in layers of sorts.
“Great wine has different qualities that are revealed with every sip.”
Armed with this knowledge about wine and also cognac, Mr Viljoen will shop around when buying a bottle of wine.
Strangely enough, his training as a chef and being a wine expert is not what advanced his career.
It was the hotel management part that has landed him jobs at different institutions, the last being the boutique hotel, Alveston Manor in Middelburg.
When the hotelier, Mr Hendri Swanepoel, decided to buy the Mugg & Bean Restaurant in the Secunda Mall, he asked Mr Viljoen to be the manager and oversee the quality control of the restaurant.
Mr Viljoen agreed to manage the restaurant at Secunda, because he will once again be close to home. He daily commutes between Standerton and Secunda.
“I am very close to my family and very attached to my grandparents.”
Mr Viljoen is quick to point out that he will disprove the statement: “never trust a skinny cook”. He attributes his lean frame to a fast metabolism and assures patrons that the food is really good.
