(CNN) — Whether it’s bringing foraging to the forefront of the culinary landscape or finding ways to make familiar flavors stand out, chefs across Africa are pushing the envelope when it comes to food. Meet three African chefs who are taking cuisine on the continent to new heights

Heritage food in South Africa

South African chef and restauranteur Chris Erasmus believes that when it comes to food the process is just as important as the outcome. You need to sometimes crack the whip but you need to release it, immediately and, build on a positive energy, he told CNN. I really believe in that, what you put into your food is what the customer will experience. So, if it’s angry or sad, it’s what you gonna taste. There needs to be happiness.

Erasmus specialises in the fine art of foraging and heritage food, His philosophy of “being conscious” evident not only in the menu at his award- winning restaurant ‘Foliage,’ but in how he runs it. We are supposed to set an example when it comes to food so let’s do it the right way, he said. Let’s use the right suppliers, let’s treat animals correctly, let’s support the right people. As a chef in South Africa, what I would like to see and leave behind, is that people think before they use anything, think before they import anything. Walk around your restaurant and see what’s outside before you order something, see what’s around you.

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