James Gaag, 24, graduated from Silwood School of Cookery in Cape Town in 2011, and is now Sous-Chef at Constantia Uitsig's La Colombe. In his first year at Silwood, he and a peer won the chef school challenge at the Sunday Times Food Awards.
My mom was one of Silwood's early students. Like me, she was top student in all her years. She's now a lecturer there. I valued the one-on-one attention at Silwood. I found my second year, where students work at five establishments, the most valuable because I was exposed to all kinds of restaurants and techniques.
My advice to young chefs is to be like a sponge. Absorb as much as you can. This isn't a highly paid profession until you get to the top. To get there, you must work extremely hard. You're only as good as your last plate.
I own 22 knives. In a busy kitchen, you can't sharpen your knife every two minutes, so a good knife is essential. So is a timer so you don't forget about things in the oven. I've had disasters, like burning demi-glace, reducing 200 litres to five!
One of my favourite things about cooking is that I can be creative. I don't want to work in a kitchen that's stuck in its ways. I like seeing food change all the time and presenting it in different ways.
For people who like hollandaise sauce, I have a sneaky shortcut. In this version, you're practically making a mayonnaise, so you use raw egg yolk and pour in boiling hot butter, partially cooking the yolk. It takes a minute to make.
I cook at home all the time. I'm always roped into a braai, and I'm mad about spaghetti bolognaise. Most nights I get home at 11pm and I often won't have supper because I taste everything before it goes on a plate.
I'll never forget meeting Raymond Blanc, who I've idolised. I've just returned from a four-month stint working at his restaurant, Le Manoir, in England. That kitchen is unlike anything I've worked in. It's a massive cog, with over 40 chefs. I learnt to work fast while being precise. You don't have time to mess up. Yet the kitchen is calm: it's not about shouting and being Gordon Ramsay.