FABER, co-founded by Chef Eric Bulpitt two years ago, who is soon moving on to a new chapter at Pieneef à La Motte, says about Dale; “Dale is a very talented young chef with an intuitive talent for cooking and flavours. He is a natural leader and I believe that he is one of South Africa’s young chefs to watch. Dale is at the point in his career where he is ready to take the reins of his own kitchen and I am very confident that he will lead FABER into an exciting new culinary era”.
Born and raised in Mossel Bay under the strong guidance of his maternal grandmother who always ensured that her guests left her home with a smile and a belly full of food! After matriculating, Dale studied at The Culinary Academy in Paarl and was fortunate to experience his practical placement with legendary chef George Jardine at Jordan Restaurant where he also worked and gained invaluable experience for four years after graduating.
South Africa’s No.1 restaurant The Test Kitchen was Dale’s next port of call which gave him the opportunity to work and live in a city under the mentorship of Luke Dale Roberts.
It was during this chapter of Dale’s starlit career, that Eric Bulpitt, also a student of George Jardine, was planning to open Newton Johnson Restaurant and invited the young chef to join him. A few years later when the time came for Eric to move closer to Cape Town and open FABER, it was a natural progression for Dale to follow as wing man.
Says Dale, “My biggest mentor is George Jardine, as I spent so many hours alongside him as a young and inexperienced chef. I take my hat off to Luke Dale Roberts, as he has managed to place South Africa on the international map. I have been following the opening of Noma 2.0 very closely. Rene Redzepi is really one of the most inspirational chefs of our time and I would love to one day dine in his restaurant and experience his food. Since I started working in the kitchen, I have developed a great fascination with Japan and the country has become my dream culinary destination. I am attracted to the culture, the food, the discipline, their craftsmanship and the Japanese way of life”.
The Avondale story is one of embracing ground-breaking biodynamic and organic farming practices to produce wines that reflect the terroir; wines that pay tribute to the soils that produce them. The same can be said of FABER’s culinary philosophy, where Dale takes inspiration from the seasons, the land and the farm’s produce harvested from its biodynamic vegetable garden.
Says, Johnathan Grieve, proprietor of Avondale Estate including FABER, “it has been a pleasure to work alongside Chef Eric in creating FABER and I wish him and his young family all best of happiness and success. Beginning a new chapter with Chef Dale as we enter the bountiful autumn season allows Family Avondale an opportunity to reenergise and embrace a new era. It may be starting to slow down in Avondale’s vineyards but it certainly is about to heat up in FABER’s kitchen!”.
This Easter Sunday, take a drive out to Avondale that will captivate the whole family. Easter delights such as lamb, pickled fish and hot-cross buns can be expected for this family style sharing lunch prepared by Chef Dale and his team. An Easter egg hunt with the added entertainment of watching Avondale’s famous Pekin Ducks eagerly at work cleaning up the vines of snails all makes for a fun filled and memorable day out. The FABER Easter Sunday lunch feast is priced at R485 per adult for an Easter 4-course sharing menu and R150 per child for an Easter 2-course menu inclusive of the eggciting egg hunt.
FABER restaurant is situated on the scenic Avondale wine estate near Paarl in the Western Cape winelands. The restaurant is open for lunch from Wednesday through to Sunday between Noon and 14h30 and for dinner from Thursday through to Saturday. Advance bookings recommended. Call (27) (21) 202 1219 or email faber@avondalewine.co.za.