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A holiday to South Africa six years ago changed chef Greg Baverstock’s life forever. "I only went back to the UK to sell my house, and have been here ever since,” says the new Five Flies head chef, who adds that he never wants to live anywhere else but Cape Town.

Growing up, Greg had thoughts of becoming a dentist, but a tradition of the family cooking together and enjoying long, relaxed lunches changed his mind. A love of cooking and the ritual around slow meals lured Greg into a career as a chef.

"I grew up cooking with my Dad,” says Greg. "He loved getting into the kitchen after a tough day at work. So I used to chop garlic and onions, and peel prawns for his paella. My Mom is French and my grandparents lived in Spain, so the family practised the Mediterranean ritual of cooking together and then sitting down for long lunches with the family.”

Now, in his early thirties, Greg still enjoys the robust flavours of the Mediterranean – which also come through in his cooking. "I love big flavours,” says Greg, "so that includes Indian and Thai food, and I the balance they achieve between spices.”

However, Greg says he doesn’t believe in too many flavours on a plate. "Just one main flavour is enough, and then two or three flavours to play off it. I like keeping food simple and flavours balanced. To me, good food means fine flavours and simply cooking - nothing too fussy or confusing. I believe the technique that has gone into making the dish is important; it takes real skill to make more unusual cuts of meat taste good, anyone can cook a tasty fillet.”

Greg’s first proper job was in a pub, washing dishes in the kitchen. "But I’ve always been attracted to the restaurant way of life,” says Greg, "and I have long enjoyed cooking – it’s creative and tactile, both art and craft. If you are in charge of your own kitchen you can really push the creative boundaries.”

Inspiration for Greg comes from daily life, "sometimes just walking down the street will spark an idea,” he says. But in terms of chefs, he rates Gordon Ramsay as a real inspiration "for his complete dedication to cooking.” However, when Greg is not in the kitchen at Five Flies, he’s in the kitchen at home. "I truly love cooking, he says, and that you can make endless different dishes from exactly the same ingredients. It’s just amazing.”

To be a good chef requires plenty of hard work, though, and Greg adds that "great belief in yourself and the ability to get on with other people are essential too. Unlimited passion is also a necessity, because it requires long hours of work and complete dedication to succeed. But for me there is no better job. Actually, there is nothing else I want to do.”

Also on Greg’s mind is to start mentoring young chefs, just as he was mentored. "I’d like to give back,” he says, "and encourage newcomers into the industry, because it’s a hard profession to crack and we want good chefs in the future.”

Serving contemporary cuisine, Greg says Five Flies also moves with the times, while retaining the ever popular core menu. "We will be launching an updated menu in mid August,” he says, "which is lighter, healthier and includes new cooking styles. While many old favourites will remain, new dishes have been added along with a completely new dessert menu to entice patrons.”

And who would Greg Baverstock still like to cook for? The football legend Stuart Pearce, and film star Gary Oldman are on his list. But for now he’s not going anywhere. "I love the family atmosphere at Five Flies, it’s an amazing working environment because staff just don’t leave – which is very unusual in such a migratory industry. Everyone wants to work here and wants to work together. They are all interested in what’s going on, and I want to keep everyone excited by what they are doing and enjoy the journey with them.”

For Greg, Cape Town is the undoubtedly the food capital of South Africa and he loves living there – for the outdoor lifestyle and Mediterranean weather. It reminds him of family holidays in Spain, when he was a child – and the whole family cooking and dining together.

For more information contact:

Five Flies on tel: 021 424 4442