Chantel was born in Elandsfontein, South Africa, where she grew up on their family farm. Nature has always been something which is in her bones and it’s somewhere she loves to escape and reconnect to. From an early age she was intrigued by food and her great great grandfather was actually a chef for the Royal Family.

At the age of 14, she decided to become a vegetarian. Her mother said that she needed to learn how to cook her own meals because she was not going to cook vegetarian meals especially for her!! It drove her to start her own vegetable garden and that’s when she began to understand and explore the use of flowers and herbs.

The philosophy behind the dishes at her restaurant, Restaurant Mosaic, revolve around portraying botanical stories. In her dishes, Chantel tries to recreate scenes from her life that she has experienced, by using various textures, aromas and flavours.

One of the key things about the world famous, Restaurant Mosaic and Orient Hotel, is that almost every employee has been with them from the start and has been upskilled – from gardener to award winning Sommelier, from cleaning lady to Head Maître’d. Her energy, passion and drive to help those around her is what has helped build a formidable team.

As South Africans we are super proud to have had the honour of speaking with her and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Let’s find out what it means for Chantel Dartnall, to be Ridiculously Human.

Your fellow beings

Craig and Gareth