by Laura Forsyth | 15th December, 2022 | Nutrition
Ever wondered who the mastermind behind our dishes is? Let us introduce our menu development chef Taron Van Der Berg.
Taron’s role at Lions Prep is to develop meals which are healthy, filling and most importantly delicious. All while ensuring that the dishes we create use the best quality ingredients and stay affordable.
Tell us a bit about you and your culinary background?
I’ve been cooking since I was 8 years old. Neither of my parents enjoyed cooking so our meals were always very basic. It wasn’t until I started eating at friends houses that I realised how good food could actually be! I also wasn’t allowed to watch much television growing up unless it was educational so I started watching cooking shows. My parents were pretty flabbergasted when their 8-year-old was begging them to go to the organic farmers market instead of the playground.
I’ve also always been very health conscious so I started developing recipes which were low fat, sugar free, low carb, vegan or whatever the health trend was at the time.
I always thought food would be a passion of mine rather than a career but when I was at university, I met someone who was studying food science and I knew that’s what I had to do. I’ve been developing recipes and food products ever since.
What do you think makes Lions Prep stand out against other meal plan services?
I believe Lions Prep is the only meal plan service which offers so much variety. Our meals are always gluten free, dairy free and halal with either the meat or vegan option. We manage to cater for so many different dietary needs and goals without compromising on flavour and freshness. Lions Prep also strives to connect with the suppliers and farmers on a personal level to ensure that we get the freshest produce.
What makes a good Lions Prep meal in your opinion?
A good Lions Prep meal has a good balance of protein, vegetables, carbohydrates and fats to ensure that our customers are getting all the macro- and micronutrients they need. Most importantly though, they have the flavours that people love and want to keep coming back for. I love recreating restaurant favourites in a healthier and more balanced way. It’s a great misconception that healthy food has to be bland and boring.
How do you quality check the dishes on your menu?
When I create a recipe, my first critics are the wonderful team of chefs at Lions Prep. This is always on a smaller scale as I would’ve only made a few portions for development. After their feedback, I’ll tweak the recipe and then scale it up. The chefs and I then cook a large batch of the recipe and do an internal taste testing with the whole Lions Prep team. The team each get a feedback card to fill out. This cook and feedback helps me to ensure the quality and flavour of the food is still maintained when the recipe is cooked on a larger scale. I then make final tweaks to the recipe and once it’s live on the website, it becomes one of our meals. I am in the kitchen with the chefs everyday ensuring that everything tastes delicious before it goes out.
Favourite thing about being the menu development chef at Lions Prep?
Reading the positive feedback from customers. I love hearing how much customers enjoy our meals and how simple it makes their lives. I enjoy that I’m contributing to the health of our customers.
Tell us an interesting fact about you, that not many people know?
I grew up in Cape Town, South Africa or as I like to call it, wine country. I was always surrounded by vineyards so I became super passionate about wine, wine packaging and sustainable wine farming. One of my goals in 2023 is to complete the WSET Level 2 qualification in wine.
