Reuben Riffel - South Africa
Reuben Riffel
Celebrity Chef Reuben Riffel, famous for his signature restaurant, Reuben's, nestled in Franschhoek, a beautiful corner of South Africa, believes that the best chefs are those who 'listen' to their own tongue and know instinctively what other people would like to eat. Inspired by loving childhood memories, passionate people, and fresh local produce, Reuben creates delicious flavours through careful cooking. In 2004 Reuben's won "Chef of the Year" and "Restaurant of the Year" in South Africa's Eat Out magazine; followed by 2007 "Unilever Chef of the Year" and 2007 "Sunday Times Chef of the Year", 2008 Dine Awards: SA's Top 100 restaurants and a 2009 award from American Express Platinum Fine Dining.
The Caesarstone Added Value
Reuben discovered that Caesarstone® enabled him to work in his restaurant’s kitchen on a quartz surface that is practical, attractive and has a cool, natural feel. It offers him a convenient work surface that is both functional and flexible.In a specific area of the kitchen, Reuben managed to recess a small induction unit as an integral part of the counter top; He fitted Caesarstone countertops in the pastry section of his kitchen for both convenience and dramatic effect. He wanted to show off the countertops which always reflect a sparkling beauty that is a joy to behold. "Working on a surface is a chef’s pure pleasure as it always remains cool, which is a big advantage for creative freedom when you are working with pastry, chocolate and other dessert delicacies" says Reuben, "the surface doesn’t scratch easily and always looks good". For Reuben, Caesarstone represents a world renowned, premier kitchen surface material that is hygienic, easy to clean, durable and does not absorb any dirt or stains.
Reuben believes that CaesarStone’s quartz surfaces represent a sophisticated, stylish product that goes hand in hand with critical hygiene and safety standards. As a restaurateur who cares about every little detail, Caesarstone holding the NSF 51 international food handling safety standard has been a revelation for him. It affords him immense peace of mind as he is always searching for products that are clean and safe for his kitchen. Reuben is well aware of environmental challenges and as a chef he has experienced the negative impact on produce when the well being of the environment has not been considered in production, farming etc. Naturally, he is delighted to use a product that is eco friendly, carries an ISO 14001 global standard for environmental protection and has no harmful effect on the environment in his own kitchen. So pleased is Reuben with the Caesarstone countertops, that he plans to use it in more diverse areas in his future kitchens. Believing that if Caesarstone is good enough for his busy kitchen, it’s good enough for any kitchen, Reuben is looking forward to implementing CaesarStone into his own home and even recommends fitting Caesarstone into his customer’s homes.