Decadent desserts, scrumptious pasta, perfect steaks - Italian, French or good old South African -
Grazia Fine Food and Wine is a top choice for gourmet food lovers, with elegant dishes professionally
prepared by passionate and hard-working chef Eric Ngubane.
Ngubane, who hails from KwaZulu-Natal, has over 30 years of experience in the culinary world and
has risen through the kitchen ranks to become head chef at Grazia. His love of cooking stems from
his grandmother, who was the first person to teach him how to cook. He moved on from his roots to
work in a variety of South African restaurants before settling in East London in 1993.
He has a long-standing friendship with Grazia Fine Food & Wine’s creator and visionary Grazia Linden,
with whom he has been affiliated for about 30 years. “Grazia Fine Food and Wine will celebrate its
20th year in April,” Ngubane says proudly.
He attributes his success to a strong drive and never-ending passion for his craft. “I started out as a
scullery boy and learnt how to be a chef in between washing dishes,” he says. From there, his career
trajectory soared. Although it is extremely busy, Ngubane loves his job. “This is a career that can be
stressful and over-whelming at times. You spend most of your time at work, so you had better love it!
You won’t cut it if you are not passionate. I couldn’t imagine having a different job – this is a calling!”
Ngubane’s favourite dish to make is an entrée - the “Prawn Parcel”- described as phyllo pastry
baskets filled with diced prawns, drowned in a delicious chilli cream sauce and oven-baked.
When it’s his turn to dig in, his palate prefers a “Steak Newberg”, which combines the delicious
flavours of onion, mushroom, bacon and red wine (combined to make a Chasseur sauce) atop a
“perfectly grilled rump”. This is topped with melted mozzarella and cheddar cheese and served on
rosti (a potato dish) to make a mouth-watering meal. This is a far cry from his favourite childhood
dish. When he was growing up, he enjoyed pap and meat! Nowadays, Ngubane favours specific
ingredients. “I love working with lobster. I especially love making Lobster Thermidor,” he says.
There is no doubt that he will be tantalising taste buds and appeasing appetites in East London for
many years to come.
Compliments to the chef!