chantel

Chantel is an innovative spirit who is constantly on the lookout for the unique and wonderful. She rarely can resist a beautiful plate or piece of porcelain and work closely with various artists in different disciplines to create petite masterpieces to showcase her cuisine at its best. Her innovative approach to food preparation and presentation focuses on using edible herbs and flowers for their taste and beauty as well as their medicinal properties. It is a convergence of art and living food, where the plate is the canvas upon which fresh, organic, heirloom produce creates the painting.
Over the years Chantel has discovered a universal truth. “There are only a few basic fundamental principals when it comes to being a chef – passion, consistency and simplicity”. She believes that we should seek out to enhance our food, our health, and our lives.

Layers of harmonious rhythms and melodies manifest in Chantel’s botanical creations as she strives to enable nature to speak through her. It is more than foraging, it is about being in tune with the essence of each ingredient as she utilizes herbs and flowers not only to nourish, but also to invigorate and enthrall her diners. The preparation, cooking and eating of food becomes a sanctified act and she makes use of her kitchen to deliberately hone her craft and weave her spells…
Her latest menu is inspired by the five Chinese elements of nature: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, and is named Wu Xing. The Five Elements Theory is a Chinese philosophy used to describe interactions and relationships between things and the five elements are believed to be the fundamental elements of everything in the universe between which interactions occur. She says the Five Elements exist in every living being and is an extention of her menu, where each unique characteristic will come to life.

For many chefs, the most powerful tools of inspiration are experiences and Chantel and her team travel annually in pursuit of culinary discoveries.

It gives her a chance to experience, listen and be influenced by different cultures and tastes. She has gained a huge wealth of knowledge as well from her extensive travels to some of the world’s finest restaurants in Italy, Portugal, Madeira, Spain and France. Chantel is constantly on the lookout for the unique and wonderful. – She rarely can resist a beautiful plate or piece of porcelain and work closely with various artists to create petite masterpieces to showcase her cuisine at its best.

Chantel says her global travels have helped to develop her palate and challenged her to experiment even more with food. Inspired not only by her travels abroad, but also by the setting of the Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient in the Francolin Conservacy, she is passionate about using organic and seasonal produce.

Chantel draws her inspiration from Restaurant Mosaic’s lush surroundings and the abundance of plant life in the Francolin Conservancy, where there are no distractions from the beauty of nature. Sourcing the best seasonal ingredients and working closely with local farmers and suppliers is an important aspect of Chantel’s food philosophy.

She goes to great lengths to source her organic and fresh produce from local family farms and suppliers in her community – ensuring that only the purest produce is served at Mosaic, all the while being aware of their origins and roots. Dartnall’s good relationship with the farmers in her area brings another level of excellence to Restaurant Mosaic.

Since inception, Mosaic has focused on uplifting the local community by employing them in the Restaurant as well as the hotel and developing both their skill sets and confidence. Quite a few of the longest standing members of the kitchen and front of house teams did not have any formal training or restaurant experience before they started at Mosaic, yet over the years, their skills were developed and with new knowledge gained, they now will be able to work in the best establishments around the world.