Enjoy delicious cuisine at Masoala Forest Lodge

Acclaimed South African chef creates menu and trains chefs for Masoala Forest Lodge

“This is different to anything I have ever done – I’m up for the challenge!” said South African chef Craig Cormack, when he was asked to create a menu for the Masoala Forest Lodge’s rainforest-kitchen.

Chef Patron Craig Cormack is one of the most acclaimed chefs in South Africa. Currently owner of The Goose Roasters in Cape Town, Craig Cormack has been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years, and has worked at most of the Cape’s top 5 star properties. An enthusiast and specialist in salt, Craig is an active member of the South African Chefs Association and has travelled abroad many times, working in Mauritius, Turkey, Greece and the UK representing South Africa at various food promotions.

In June 2015, Craig took on the task of training the chefs and other kitchen staff at the Masoala Forest Lodge.

For three weeks, Craig spent his days in the lodge kitchen, working with the kitchen staff to train them on various cooking techniques, presentation of meals, revisiting the menu and creating a variety of new dishes using locally available ingredients.

The training days were long and productive. Craig arrived in the kitchen very early before breakfast and left only before dinner, to present the day’s creations to the owners and the guests. The kitchen staff were eager to learn and contributed with their ideas and their experience of many years cooking at the lodge.

Over a dozen new recipes were created and former recipes improved upon. These include guests’ favorites, such as octopus salad, vanilla-corn soup, homemade gnocchi in a fresh lemon and cream sauce, freshly caught bonito in caper sauce, and chocolate mousse with caramelized bananas.

So when you next visit the lodge and come back from your morning walk in the forest or from discovering the beautiful coastline in our sea kayaks, you have something else to look forward to – a delicious homemade meal prepared by our chefs, with all the best ingredients that the forest and the sea can offer!