Goliath has been cooking professionally for nearly three decades and spent 16 years with Madame Zingara.
Royal Countess Zingara chef Emile Goliath. Picture Michel Bega /The Citizen
The Royal Countess Zingara chef Emile Goliath has 36 people in his kitchen, around 190 fillet steaks to prepare on an average evening and approximately 15 minutes to get the main courses onto tables. The theatre is on the other side of the kitchen door, but he’s got his own performance to direct every night. Nobody can drop the ball. Delicious makes the show yum. In short.
It is a demanding operation, particularly when last-minute dietary requests arrive, or a waiter delivers a plate to the wrong table.
“On any given evening, I might find myself helping with the lamb shanks, moving across to the fish station and then stepping in to assist with the vegetarian dishes if that section falls behind. You have to be everywhere, making sure the kitchen keeps moving,” he said.
Goliath has been cooking professionally for nearly three decades and spent 16 years with Madame Zingara. His introduction to the theatrical dining production came rather unexpectedly. He was about to start working at Cape Town’s Table Bay Hotel when Zingara called with a job offer. “I literally turned around and walked away from the hotel. I ran away with the circus,” he shared.
Dropped a prestige job to join Zingara
Before that, his career included restaurants, hotels and private cooking assignments. He has also cooked for some famous people, including Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods.
At Zingara, the kitchen plays an important role in the evening’s entertainment. The food has to match the spectacle unfolding on stage.
“We want every plate to look beautiful, but there is a practical side to it. When you’re serving hundreds of people in such a short time, you cannot make every dish overly complicated. The presentation must be elegant, clean and efficient,” he said.
The famous chocolate chilli steak remains one of Zingara’s signature dishes. Its recipe belongs to Richard Griffiths, the creator of the show, who has particularly high standards about how it should be served.
“We prepare around 190 fillets on an average evening, and they are cooked together in batches. When guests request different levels of doneness, those steaks have to be prepared separately, which complicates the timing. Richard designed the chocolate chilli steak to be enjoyed medium rare, and that is how he prefers it served,” Goliath said.
Managing three dozen kitchen employees also comes with the occasional test of Goliath’s patience. “I like to think I’m a gentle boss, and I certainly don’t run my kitchen like Gordon Ramsay. There are moments when you have to raise your voice, but I don’t believe in throwing things at people. Sometimes I might feel like it, but I don’t,” he said.
‘I don’t run my kitchen like Gordon Ramsay’
After spending his evenings preparing elaborate meals, Goliath prefers something considerably less complicated when he gets home. Asian food is a favourite, particularly dumplings and dim sum. Sometimes a toasted sandwich will do.
Goliath occasionally slips out of the kitchen to watch the audience, particularly towards the end of the evening. It is an opportunity to discover how the performance has been received, something that can come as a surprise after a difficult service.
“Sometimes, backstage, we’re convinced the evening has been a disaster. We’re worried about delays, dishes going out late and everything that might have gone wrong. Then you walk out and see people cheering, applauding and giving standing ovations. It’s an extraordinary feeling, particularly for the kitchen team, because they get to see how much people appreciate what they’ve done.
“I genuinely love being here. The hours are long and the work is demanding, but I have a wonderful team around me. We enjoy what we do, and seeing people appreciate our food makes every evening worthwhile.”
