With more than two decades working in some of South Africa’s finest kitchens, Abdullatief realised that: “Chefs love alcohol, bacon and Parma ham.” It is normal for chefs to try each other’s sauces but, as a Muslim who abstains from all three, Abdullatief soon realised it was safer to just say no. That changed when he was made head chef: “Whenever I was put in charge of things, I would surreptitiously make the menu halal. No pork in the stock, no alcohol in the jus,” he said. Fast forward a few years and the 40-year-old is now the owner of The Happy Uncles, South Africa’s first fine dining halal restaurant, and Barakat, a popular contemporary Cape Malay eatery in Cape Town’s new Time Out Market. Last year, he scooped the Rising Star prize at South Africa’s premier restaurant awards.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA