In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Drikus Brink, chef/proprietor of Toevlug, to trace a quietly serious cooking life shaped by farms, butcheries and long service beside Bertus Basson. Brink talks through his early years growing up around meat and trade, cooking boerewors rolls as a teenager, studying in Pretoria and arriving at Overture, to spend nearly a decade in Basson’s kitchens.
The conversation moves through volume cooking, technique, pressure and instinct, from one man hot sections to breakfast services that teach humility fast. Brink reflects on what he absorbed from Basson’s way of working: discipline over decoration, technique over theatre, and the confidence to change a dish mid service if it makes sense. We talk about building restaurants as businesses, growing sideways through bakeries, farm shops and events, and why Toevlug was designed as a place people can return to often rather than conquer once.
This is a grounded discussion about fundamentals, mentorship and staying in your lane, told by a chef who understands that good food, properly cooked, is still the point.
For more on the Bertus Basson group of restaurants, click here
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