Guest chef Margot Janse at Restaurant Ikarus

In March 2008 at the Restaurant Ikarus: Margot Janse

The Adventuress

"le Quartier FranÇais", Franschhoek, South Africa

Margot Janse comes from a country which is not particularly well known for its food: Holland. So even she herself can not explain where her culinary passion derives from, although it was clear from an early age that one day she would pursue this career. As a small baby she once spent several days in hospital because she steadfastly refused to eat and drink. Her disarming response to this fact: “Even then, I was very critical about anything to do with food!”

The blonde Dutchwoman is a traveller who fi nds fulfi lment in treading new, unfamiliar paths. She even came to cooking only after attending drama school in Maastricht for a year and then working as a photographer and coordinator in a small school of photography in Johannesburg. But fi nally, at the age of 23, the magic of cooking cast its spell over her. Once again, she did not choose the usual route of a three-year professional training course, but fi rst learned how to deal with customers by working as a waitress. A few months later, her culinary career started with Ciro Molinaro in Johannesburg, who encouraged her to research beyond culinary tradition. Naturally the programme also included how to run a kitchen in a disciplined manner. Margot Janse spent two hard years learning with Molinaro, during which she was promoted to assistant chef after only six months.

Her baptism by fire took place in 1995, when Margot went to Le Quartier Français as sous-chef. However, she didn’t remain in this position for long, because after just a few months the owner Susan Huxter appointed her executive chef. Once again, a new path opened up for Margot Janse, although it did initially give her a few sleepless nights. For the fi rst time, she designed a menu which would bear her name. Then came the day when South Africa’s culinary queen, Lannice Snyman, visited Le Quartier. Margot anticipated a crushing verdict, but Snyman praised her work as excellent.

From this moment on, various infl uences came together to make Margot Janse a magnet for honours from throughout the world. Shortly afterwards, Le Quartier Français was chosen as one of the best 50 restaurants in the world for the third time by the British magazine “Restaurant”. In 2007 Margot also received the Rising Chef Trophy from Relais and Chateaux. And during the culinary world trip by restaurant tester Tom Norring-Davies of the Sunday Telegraph in London, Le Quartier received the absolute top marks out of fi ve leading restaurants. Anyone who has once tasted her salmon in a pepper crust on an oxtail and sea snail ragout, or her ballottine of springbok und biltong with buchu leaf gnocchi and parsnip mousse will understand why. Margot Janse’s success is down to two things: She is a born artist, whose style consists in allowing very different fl avours and textures to be absorbed into a harmonious whole. In this way, her creations are as original as they are sublime.