Text: Dylan Muhlenburg, Images: Sean Gibson
Into the wild with Marshall Siavash, a liquid chef whose obsession with foraging and fermenting may already have found its way into your glass.
Faced with a zombie apocalypse, Marshall Siavash would be just fine. Because when the Woolies rotisserie chickens stop spinning and Mr D won’t deliver, the industrious Marshall would simply do what he’s always done.
Living within spitting distance of the Kasteelspoort Hiking Trail on Table Mountain in Cape Town, Marshall starts his day by traversing the rocky track just before sunrise.
“I always start my hike by cutting off a small piece of confetti bush and dropping it into my water. It has gingery, citrusy notes and by the time I get to the top of the mountain the water is so much more flavourful.”
A pair of gardening scissors in his backpack and an ever-increasing knowledge of foraging in his head, Marshall takes his pick from nature’s abundant pantry. And if you’re partial to a cocktail then chances are you’ve tasted the fruits.
Despite having recently trimmed the wizard’s beard, Marshall’s creations are no less magical and his home is full of clues hinting at the makings of the man. Botanicals hang from hooks, bottles bubble on the kitchen counter, batches of new brews…
“Be careful with that. That one could kill you.”
Ah, but the smell is sublime, and if you’ve savoured Marshall’s boots-on-the-ground way of immersing the wilderness into his cocktails at either The House of Machines, Outrage of Modesty, Cause/Effect or Coco Safar, you’ll agree that what doesn’t kill you makes these drinks that much stronger.
“Foraging is scary. I only take what I know. Even if something smells amazing I need to be 100% sure of it. Yes, we are human, we are curious, but one mistake and that’s it.”
Originally from Iran, then Botswana and now very much a product of the Cape, the outdoorsman has always spent his time hiking and hunting, camping and climbing, giving him an edge on every other moustachioed barkeep on the wrong side of a waistcoat.
Plucking provisions while pursuing his interests, Marshall forages the perfect combinations of flavour and aroma, captures their essence via fermentation and then shares these with his clients.
“Fermenting takes something that’s good now and preserves it for later. It brings out new flavours creating a different, delicious and gut healthy by-product far more complex than the original.”
Bottling happiness, Marshall’s lacto-fermented veggies could wean fussy children off fish fingers. His olives are so sweet you could end your meal with them. And when we start on the kombuchas, natural cordials and homebrews, well, that’s when our interview comes to a dubious end…
Visit Marshall at the Ideas Cartel to see where he takes you.