New Executive Chef

The newest addition to the Wolgan Valley team is Executive Chef, Anston Fivaz.
South African-born Anston spent most of his childhood in Johannesburg. After receiving his formal training, he embarked on his own gastronomic journey which began in the kitchens of the Carlton Hotel, the Bay Hotel in Cape Town, and the famous Palace of the Lost City at Sun City. Since then Anston's star has been on the rise, having worked at the exclusive 5 star Villa D’ Este Hotel in Italy and the Claridges hotel in Mayfair in the UK, from where he went onto assisting Chef Alex Bentley in setting up the award-winning Michelin star restaurant Monsieur Max in Hampton Hill. He spent time in France learning about Haute French cuisine, and his quest for new and innovative ideas have drawn him across many parts of Asia and Europe and finally the Middle East, where he opened up his own signature restaurant `Retro’ in Dubai. He has since worked on at least 28 exciting restaurant concepts and projects over the last 12 years in the Gulf, such as the Le Méridien Mina Seyahi, the Westin Dubai and Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts to name a few.

Anston joined the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa team in December 2011 and is looking forward to showcasing his depth of culinary talents. His food philosophy is very simple - keep it natural and simple with a focus on ingredients. Anston says `I believe Wolgan has a great food culture and I would like to enhance the strong base already in place to ensure every guest experiences an explosion of taste from quality regional, seasonal produce prepared simply and expertly to let the natural flavours shine’.

Swordfish Carpaccio

Method:

Vanilla oil:
• Place 1 vanilla pod (cut in half) in 250ml virgin olive oil
• Heat slowly till 68 deg- allow to cool on the side naturally (1 day in advance)
• Keep the vanilla pods for garnish

Swordfish Carpaccio:
• Zest the orange and lemon (keep the juice)
• Mix together the sugar, salt, fennel seeds, black pepper, orange juice, lemon juice, zest of orange and lemon
• Place the mixture over the fish, cover with cling wrap and leave for 5 hours

Peppers:
• Grill the peppers directly on the high flame (gas stove or BBQ) or deep-fry in oil till skill changes colour
• Place the hot peppers in a zip tight bag and leave for 5 minutes
• After 5 minutes peel the skin of and rinse under warm water, pat dry and tip and tail slice the peppers in even slices 3mm x 3cm

To serve:
• Scrape the salt mixture off the fish and rinse under cold water, pat dry with a tea towel
• Slice the swordfish (thinly,1.5mm)
• Place vertically on the plate (refer to picture)
• Warm the potatoes in the vanilla oil and place on plate (refer to picture)
• Place a pepper on each swordfish slice and then add a caper berry on top
• Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the fish and season with fresh grinded black pepper; finish with basil leaves

Awards

The world’s first internationally accredited carbon-neutral resort, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa has been honoured at the prestigious 2011 World Savers Award for its pioneering work and commitment to wildlife conservation.

The Condé Nast Traveler’s fifth annual World Savers Awards acclaims travel companies from around the world for their leadership in social responsibility. The rigorous process is judged across six categories including wildlife conservation, poverty relief, environmental and cultural preservation, education, and health initiatives.

Wolgan Valley was also awarded the Eco-spa of the Year category at the 7th Annual AsiaSpa Awards held in Hong Kong in November 2011.

To round up the clutch of accolades, Wolgan Valley was awarded the 2012 Condé Nast Traveller UK Gold List award in the Best Hotels for Service category. The Gold List features the best hotels in the world, and as Mike Dolan, a Gold List contributor, says of Wolgan: `The welcome here is warm, the service polite and intuitive, but in true Australian style, there isn't a hint of ingratiation.'