Salt: the spice of life at Waterford
If you drive up the picturesque Blaauwklippen Road, on the outskirts of Stellenbosch, with every mile you’ll find yourself relaxing, absorbing the majesty of the Helderberg Mountains, with vineyards and bucolic farmland.
Waterford Estate was my destination, to meet up with renowned chef Craig Cormack, at the aptly- named restaurant, Salt.
Our paths first crossed over a decade ago, when I attended an unforgettable food, wine and salt pairing at Bergkelder’s “cellar in the mountain”.
Craig’s fascinating journey has taken him all over the world, in the years since, as he went through a metamorphosis of sorts, becoming an aficionado, collecting different salts from the globe, and then working his alchemy, introducing guests at his tasting events to the wonders and history, and application, of this essential ingredient to our lives, health and cuisine.
Sitting in the tranquil courtyard at Waterford, with its peaceful vibe and classical Italian architecture, Craig shared more of his origin story, and the exciting spate of current adventures and projects.
And while we chatted, our lovely student ambassador brought out a few of their favourite menu items to sample, along with Waterford’s splendid wines.
I felt as if I’d stepped through a portal into another era, as the trademark fountain gurgled quietly, and birds flitted between all the trees.
He has curated the ultimate journey of culinary artistry, incorporating different types of salts and salting techniques from all around the world into the menu, and we also did a separate salt and wine pairing, where I encountered salt varieties I’d never heard of, that worked magic on my palate.
"In the culinary world, a dozen different types of salt can be used to smoke, pickle, cure, and cook dishes that date back as far as 2,000 years," he explained.
"In the culinary world, a dozen different types of salt can be used to smoke, pickle, cure, and cook dishes that date back as far as 2,000 years," he explained.
Craig and Beau du Toit head up the courtyard restaurant at the estate, offering a curated menu available from Tuesdays to Sundays, between 11:30 am and 3:30 pm.
“We cook with flavour, keep it simple and use ingredients to their best potential,” he said, and indeed each menu item I sampled was perfectly paired with wines representing the character of cultivar perfectly.
(In 2017, the winemaker, Mark le Roux, was named as South Africa’s Young Winemaker of the year, and the estate has received an array of awards.)
But back to Craig’s salt trajectory...
“My journey started 16 years ago, starting with demonstrations, and it evolved as a food, wine and salt pairing.
“People were very interested, and over a few months, I realised this was quite unique and different.
“I started researching salt more, and realised there were more than just the three choices on the shelf at the time in South Africa, and as the journey went on, I read the informative book by Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History”.
Craig was inspired to find out there were recipes going back more than 2 000 years in history, utilising salt.
“Salt was the only preservation method from thousands of years ago, but now in modern times, with refrigeration, people have forgotten how vital it was for those reasons.
“I knew I could create something quite different, say a four- or five-course meal paired with wine and salt, and obviously this changed things a lot for me.
“One thing led to another, and I got into a partnership with Distell in their Unfiltered range (their premium range), and while I was on a retainer with them for five years, I travelled all over South Africa, doing talks and demonstrations, hands-on classes and radio interviews, and the brand really loved it.”
Craig started exporting salt, and created his own brand called Amoleh.
“It was accompanied by six wines, and recipes to pair the wines with the salt, and it took off very well (it has just been rebranded as The Salt Road).
“We did many pairing dinners at Overture restaurant, every three months or so, and wineries started incorporating this idea.
“In 2017 was the first time I realised we could put a face on this, so not just a pop-up or event or launch, but a restaurant with a face where we could roll it out on a daily basis,” he explained.
“I started at Paul Cluver Estate (Elgin) with Beau, who had joined me a year before, having worked in London at a 1-star Michelin restaurant.
“I realised that what I was doing with salt, he was doing with Thai food in the UK.
Numbers started to go up, and we started building a really nice journey with salt.”
But then Covid came and nipped that in the bud, he said, and they had to call it a day, as did so many in the service industry.
“Late December 2020 we took a chance, and opened the restaurant at Waterford Estate, which was an amazing opportunity, and within just two months we had it opened, and just had to go for it!”
He reflected on what an incredible journey he’d been on, and was currently exploring new ventures showcasing salt.
“We’re the only restaurant on a farm in the world that pairs food and wine and salt, and it’s actually such a great marketing opportunity, to put out to clients and guests,” he said.
At Waterford’s Salt restaurant, they have tasting nights, catering to groups of 10 to 20 people over four to five hours, which take a deeper dive into the complexities of salt, the many attributes, the origins of some of the more unique salts from the four corners of the world, and the fascinating applications.
And for the regular dining experience, there is always a sample of a few salts on the table, and waiters elaborate, educatiing guests as a value-add.
Craig and Beau keep evolving and developing, and allude to another massive project on the horizon for next year.
“Every aspect of our business is now salt-driven, and my brand as the salt Chef is expanding.
“Creating a legacy based on the story of salt is part of my life’s journey,” he said.
And that journey just continues expanding... Craig has just returned from an extraordinary visit to Bahrain.
“I’ve had the fortune over the past few years of travelling abroad, talking about my favourite subject (salt!), including to Amsterdam, Mozambique, England and Sweden... an opportunity for a brand to sell wine, and create a unique experience.”
And he continues to meet people who inspire new adventures.
“In Slovenia I met an interesting, passionate and knowledgeable gentleman, ended up spending two weeks with him, and cooking in the capital city, visiting wine farms and salt pans.
“He’s been out to South Africa, and is coming again next April with some top food and wine people.
“Then I met an ‘opening manager’ from the Middle East, and he decided to go to Bahrain, and create a guest chef appearance to add value to the hotel experience.
“So he invited me to come to Bahrain to create a Salt Week, which I’d like to replicate going forward. I stayed at a beautiful property, had the most amazing time of my life, with a huge media launch on opening night, followed by five days of big events.
“We also did a three-day session of lunch and dinner, with salt in all the courses, and hosted 60 people from one of the oldest gastronomic societies in the world, La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.”
The organisation is named after the French Royal Guild of Goose Roasters, whose authority gradually expanded to the roasting of all poultry, meat, and game, and which disbanded in the late 1700s.
Craig says that artisans of all kinds, such as bakers, blacksmiths, and chefs, are considered for membership, and he has been a proud member for 25 years.
“They loved it, the concept blew them out of the water. They also did a breakfast station and a brunch, taking people through salts, and did a high tea, which was very popular.”
Craig’s goal is to do more of these experiences around the world.
“Beau and I have joined in a partnership with someone in Hong Kong, who is from Pakistan, and we’re working with amazing Himalayan rock salt; not only the edible side of salt, but also for the holistic approach, and we’re going to move into spas, and are hoping to bring this concept to Somerset West shortly.”
Black gold... compost!
Waterford’s commitment to ethical farming, and uplifting the local community, is part of their sustainability ethos.
Craig took time out to show me around his other noteworthy project, the gently steaming mound of compost on the far end of the orchard, where all the vegetable peelings and other organic waste is deposited every day.
This in turn nourishes the vegetable garden, from where the delicious salads and herbs are harvested.
Craig elaborates: “I became passionate about composting, after I met a very interesting chap and his wife, who do all forms of subsistence farming, and also educating people on these processes.
“We started talking about kitchen waste, I was intrigued by the prospects... and about five months ago we started our composting, and it’s already generated a few tons.”
Craig said this also presented an education-based opportunity for the team, they can take the principle forward in their own gardens and communities.
Landfills are getting full, and people can ameliorate that by composting all their organic waste, he said.
Stage one was accumulating 500kg a month of food waste and carbon materials, which they throw into the compost.
“So instead of sending it to the dump, or a pig farm, it now turns into compost and then soil.
“It is so rich, five to eight times stronger than anything you’ll buy in a nursery, filled with minerals, things grow like crazy.
“In the next six months, whatever we put in cost-wise will have been covered, and it’s turning into profit.”
They’ve already harvested their first crops of herbs, carrots, radishes, etc, and are now “growing another journey”.
“The steak is one of our signature dishes, grass-fed and superb quality, and the veggies on the plate also come from the estate, grown from our transformed waste.
“This actually adds a lot more value to the plate, and we’re also fermenting chips, and creating a food-friendly mould, that reduces the sugars when you cook, fry or grill vegetables.
“This intensifies the flavour – the carrots taste amazing, as it caramelises them, so it’s flavour on steroids, and acts as a tenderiser with meat.
“All of this is fun and exciting, and educational. Next year we’re going to focus on micro-greens, and vertical walls for growing produce under cover, protected from the elements, where they just keep on growing and maximising themselves.”
Waterford also has a worm farm, and is looking at how to best work with nature through all its practices.
After this illuminating and inspiring experience, I’ll be sure to catch up with Craig soon, to find out about the next chapter of their journey.