Marc Hirschowitz isn’t sure if he’s a foodie or a businessman but publishing his cookbook and opening a Japanese noodle restaurant were just part of the journey. Here's his interview with The New Age -

Caro Rayner

You have a master’s degree in management science and own an eventing company, Conceptspark. How did you end up in the food industry?

Well, I work with caterers every day; I see what food is exciting and trendy all the time so the leap from eventing to food was not that great. Plus I’ve been cooking for years, so the restaurant is a great outlet for my love of preparing and presenting food.

But why a noodle bar?

I was in Japan recently and I discovered this restaurant in Kyoto that opened in 1710! The restaurant only serves one dish – ramen, a soup with delicious, thick udon noodles. And I just thought Jozi doesn’t really have places like that.

The decision to do it in Braamfontein was because I feel very urban when I’m there, to be honest.

The Neighbourgoods Market is just around the corner and there’s a lot happening in Braamfontein culturally. The place has got a very exciting feel. I feel like I’m in Hong Kong or Manhattan when I’m there.

What’s so great about Japanese food?

Japanese food leaves a cleanness on the palate; all the ingredients are fresh and crisp. I’ve been so influenced by Japanese food and the Japanese way of life that the idea really appealed to me. And I thought if I enjoy it, other people will too.

Tell us about your new cookbook, Savour.

I’m very excited about it. It’ll be out next week. I think it really pushes the boundaries of what cookbooks should be. I’ve always disliked the way they list these really long and complicated recipes. So the idea behind Savour is quick, uncomplicated recipes that are stylish and presented beautifully.

It’s all about easy, stylish entertainment. And it’s about presentation. Obviously, when a dish tastes amazing, that’s half the battle won, but the way food is presented prepares the palate for what’s to come.

Savour is also visually interesting; it’s more than 360 pages long, it’s a hardcover and it has beautiful full-colour photos to go with every recipe. Each chapter is like its own little mini-book. Every chapter has a theme and its own personality, so the book is itself visually interesting and a page turner. We repeatedly get asked to do a cookbook by our guests, because they enjoy our presentation and our food at the events.

Favourite meal?

There’s this image in my cookbook; it’s a vermicelli-covered stiletto shoe and it just looks so delicious I could eat it! But it’s hard to pick just one dish in the book; everything is delicious. I wouldn’t have put it in my book if I didn’t think so. But right now, my favourite is the fish envelopes in nori; they’re healthy and fun to make.

Favourite recipe?

I love making my own pasta. You get machines that can help you press out the dough, but mine’s a hand-operated churner. Fresh pasta tastes so different to the dried stuff in shops. You can flavour it yourself and it cooks in 90 seconds, so it’s great if you have kids. I have three and they love it.

Apparently, there’s a whole philosophy behind Japanese ramen. Tell us a bit about that…

Three words - fresh, fresh, fresh! It’s all about the freshest possible ingredients prepared in the simplest possible way to get the maximum flavour from them. Everything is stir-fried in a little sesame oil so quickly that it preserves the crispness of the vegetables and leaves a fresh, clean taste on your palette.

Email Marc at marc@conceptspark.com or visit www.conceptspark.com.

caror@thenewage.co.za