GQ chats with Schalk Vlok, executive chef at Babylonstoren’s Babel Restaurant
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Babel Restaurant, nestled in a historic cowshed, blends Cape Dutch charm with contemporary glass walls, creating a stylish yet inviting space to savor innovative dishes.
Recognized as Africa's Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant at the 2024 World Culinary Awards, the honor was announced on October 2 at Dubai's luxurious Summersalt Beach Club.
Since 2010, Babel has embraced a “pick, clean, and serve” philosophy, crafting menus from freshly harvested, seasonal produce straight from the farm.
GQ caught up with executive chef Schalk Vlok to uncover the culinary secrets behind Babel’s success.
GQ: What sparked your passion for cooking, and how did you end up at Babel restaurant?
Schalk Vlok: For me, it didn’t start with food – It started with people. I’ve always been captivated by what food represents, not just as an end product but as the beginning of a journey that connects growers, farmers, producers, artisans and suppliers. Food brings so many elements together, each requiring incredible knowledge and passion.
Take a humble tomato, for example. Its journey begins as a seed, nurtured by someone who specialises in cultivating it, tending to the plant with care and understanding of the seasons. Eventually, it produces fruit, which is harvested at just the right moment and passed on to us. From there, we transform it into a simple dish that might take just five minutes to enjoy - but behind it lies an intricate process involving countless steps, expertise and dedication.
This journey is something I deeply admire and am in awe of. Babel Restaurant and Babylonstoren embody this philosophy, celebrating the connection between food and its origins. Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible people, in inspiring places, and under outstanding mentors.
Choosing Babylonstoren was a natural decision for me because it aligns perfectly with my belief system – viewing food as much more than something on a plate. It’s a story, a collaboration and a celebration of the entire process.
GQ: Who has influenced your culinary journey the most, and how?
Schalk Vlok: One of the biggest mentors in my culinary journey has been South African chef Arno Janse van Rensburg. I started working with him at Maison and spent several years cooking alongside him. His approach to food fundamentally shaped the way I view it today.
Another major influence has been my dad, a businessman Anton Vlok. His perspective on people and the way he treats them has always inspired me. As a chef, you quickly realise that you’re in the business of people, not just products. How you make people feel is just as important as how you cook.
I’ve also had the privilege of cooking with many incredible people – ranging from juniors with one year of experience to seniors with 30 years in the industry. I’ve learned from each of them, and that’s one of the things I love most about our field: it’s so much bigger than you. If you maintain a humble approach to learning, everyone around you becomes a teacher.
GQ: How do you ensure that the dishes you create are in harmony with the seasons?
Schalk Vlok: We are guided by our teams, and the rhythms of the seasons dictate everything on the farm, which naturally flows into our work. We don’t force anything. Our cheesemaker, butcher, baker, gardeners, and everyone else works with what’s in season, ensuring we’re always in tune with nature. This approach makes it easy for us to avoid using anything that’s out of season.
At Babel, we cook to showcase our terroir, and to do that, we must work with what’s available around us. The chefs don’t cook with what they want to; they cook with what they need to. Seasonality is our guide, our recipe book, and our compass.
GQ: What’s one dish on the menu that’s a must-try for first-time visitors, and why?
Schalk Vlok: That’s a tough question, as our menu changes frequently, but one standout dish in summer is anything featuring our tomatoes. We grow them on the farm, and the heirloom varieties are a true testament to what a product can become when it’s cared for, just as our spesiality grower Elzé Bresler tends to her tomatoes.
They are incredible. We pair them with water buffalo mozzarella from our cheesemaker, Alta Eybers and olive oil from the farm’s groves, and perhaps some aged balsamic from our cellar. It’s simple, perfect, and amazing — but presented in a way you might not expect.
GQ: What does sustainability mean to you, and how is it implemented at Babel?
Schalk Vlok: Sustainability at Babel is a core value. Across the farm, we implement innovative ways to focus on this principle, blending it seamlessly into our daily work.
Sustainability isn’t defined by a few tasks; it’s a mindset, a way of working, communicating and thinking. It’s something we continuously improve and focus on each day, and it truly takes shape when we work together toward a common goal.
GQ: How do you balance innovation with maintaining the simplicity of fresh, seasonal ingredients?
Schalk Vlok: For us, balancing innovation with the simplicity of fresh, seasonal ingredients is easy. We stay true to our identity and framework, innovating only where necessary.
Our secret weapon is knowing when to stop and simplify. Some things don’t need to be manipulated – they just need to be understood and showcased. Simplicity is the ultimate form of complexity. All the work is done for us when we can present something unaltered and true to its nature.
GQ: Babel is known for its farm-to-table approach. How does the farm influence your daily menu?
Schalk Vlok: The farm is the lifeblood of everything we do. We change with the farm, and we are led by it – nothing happens if it doesn’t happen in nature first. The food flows with the seasons, and even the décor and small details reflect the farm’s influence.
Our identity is rooted in our terroir, and our menu is simple to compile because it’s essentially a showcase of what’s around us. For example, when we first smell the fig leaves, we know it’s time to use those, not the figs just yet.
We make powders, oils, sauces and ice creams from the leaves and wait for the figs to ripen naturally, never forcing anything. When they’re ready, they become part of our menu. It’s a symbiotic relationship with everything around us – we can’t survive without it.
GQ: Working with the farm garden must be paradise for a chef?
Schalk Vlok: The inspiration one gets from the garden is something, I think, that every chef dreams about. At Babylonstoren, it is not only the produce that is inspiring but also the people who look after our garden and farm.
Every single person here shares the same passion for the ingredients and produce we use. This is what inspires me and everyone in the kitchen on a daily basis – the shared passion for what we offer.
GQ: What sets Babel apart from other farm-to-table restaurants in South Africa?
Schalk Vlok: I believe we showcase more than just products from the garden. We see farm-to-table as encompassing everything that comes from the land – cheese, beef, garden produce, almonds, macadamias, mountains, fynbos, olive oil, olives and so much more. We go far beyond simply serving a plate of vegetables; it’s about presenting the full spectrum of what our land offers.
GQ: How do you ensure that the dishes you create are in harmony with the seasons?
Schalk Vlok: We cannot cook in any other way. It requires careful planning and communication, but it’s incredibly rewarding. This approach creates a way of cooking that can only exist in harmony with the seasons. It’s beautiful to see, and as a result, our dishes are never out of season – if a product isn’t available, it simply doesn’t make its way onto the plate. It’s a concept that is both simple and complex at the same time.
GQ: What do you hope guests take away from their experience at Babel?
Schalk Vlok: We hope guests leave with a deep sense of appreciation. We want them to unwind and fully immerse themselves in the experience, connecting with the time and place they’re in.
This is one of our core values. When you dine at Babel, it’s important to know exactly where you are in the world – whether it’s the season or the time of year – and feel the unique essence of being in the Boland at Babylonstoren. It’s an experience that reminds you that you are nowhere else.
GQ: There is a strong focus on sustainability. How do you remain dedicated to finding the best, earth-friendly alternatives?
Schalk Vlok: Finding and honouring sustainable practices are at the heart of our approach at Babylonstoren. Just as the garden is our inspiration, the rhythm of the seasons is a reminder that we share a responsibility towards the Earth.
In our farm restaurants, the menus are always seasonal and guided by what is available in the garden. We take great care not to waste – offcuts go to the stockpot for soups and sauces, dried citrus peel makes a delicious flavouring, carrot tops are blended into a paste for filling mushrooms or adding to soup.
Farm-to-table eating is proving that being mindful of how and what we eat as well as where it comes from isn't just sensible, but could help combat climate change.
The recipes for all of the dishes on our seasonal menus are inspired by what grows in the garden and can be picked fresh on the day of consumption. Changing our ways takes time, but we’ve learned through our own small journey that every step counts.
GQ: What do you regard as the magic of Babylonstoren?
Schalk Vlok: If find it very hard to explain because there are so many things at Babylonstoren that are special. However, one thing that does stand out and explains the magic, in my eyes, is the shared passion for the farm and everything we do and produce as a team.
There is not one single person at Babylonstoren who doesn’t believe in what we do. Everywhere you go on the farm, every single person is trying to achieve the best they can in the field that they are working in.
The shared knowledge and each team member’s passion make Babylonstoren a magical place and, in turn, this translates into an incredible experience for our guests.
GQ: Your bio says that your first job was at the best hotel in South Africa at that time. Which one was it?
Schalk Vlok: I started my career as a commis chef at Fancourt in George and worked there between various outlets until I progressed to chef de partie. This was definitely a great foundation for my career. I worked with some truly inspiring people, who shaped me into who I am today.
GQ: Which other restaurants did you work in next?
Schalk Vlok: I worked in some top restaurants in the Winelands and Cape Town area. To name a few: Le Quartier Francais, Maison, Leeu Collection, Janse and Co and a few others of the same calibre.
GQ: What would you say is your gastronomic philosophy?
Schalk Vlok: Keeping things simple, thinking of more than just the food and telling a story that pays respect to every single aspect of that dish and everyone that has worked together to make it happen.
GQ: Which of your stations has shaped you the most?
Schalk Vlok: My first job as a chef de partie was on the veg section at Fancourt and that was hugely influential in my career. It showed me that the only way to have great service is to be well prepared, focused and determined to achieve the best.
Every section and every place I have worked in has taught me something different and I have taken each aspect to heart. Some taught me discipline and others respect, some taught me how to keep going and some taught me when to step back.
I’ve learnt something new every single day of my career and I think if I had to choose the most important thing I’ve learnt, it would be that you need to stay humble and aware that you are working on something bigger than yourself.
GQ: What is your vision for Babylonstoren – are there things you want to improve or get started?
Schalk Vlok: I think any chef has millions of ideas and plans on a daily basis, but you need to be realistic and focus on one task or idea that you can achieve in a day.
Babylonstoren is always progressing and constantly coming up with new ideas and directions to move, improve and grow. At the moment I am enjoying being part of such an innovative team and I see a very positive future.
GQ: Do you also work together with other suppliers? If so, what do you pay attention to when selecting suppliers?
Schalk Vlok: We do work with local fresh producers, local farmers and artisans and our main focus when we decide on these suppliers is whether they follow the same ethical ways of farming and are just as focused as we are on producing the best possible offering. We support suppliers who share our values.
GQ: On a day off, what’s the best way to spend time at Babylonstoren for you?
Schalk Vlok: I think an early morning walk through the garden and experiencing its peace and then sitting down at Babel for breakfast must be one of the best ways to spend a day off.
GQ: I read that your favourite ingredient is onion. Why?
Schalk Vlok: It is the simplest of ingredients with the most possibilities. It is also where everything starts in all the classical recipes. It resembles the start of something great to me – simplicity in its best form.
GQ: What’s first: The vision of a new dish or a new vegetable in the garden with which you create a dish?
Schalk Vlok: The season comes first, then we focus on what is available and then we plan our dishes around that. The ingredients dictate our menu and we always try and plan around that. Our vision needs to align with the season.
GQ: Do you have a life motto?
Schalk Vlok: Focus on what you want, stay disciplined and never forget who helped you climb those steps when you get there. Always be humble.