Cosy foodie hangout

BERLIN BEAR: RESTAURANT IN KRUGERSDORP IS DU TOIT'S HAPPY PLACE

- Hein Kaiser

Food has always been the constant in Ryan du Toit's story. His love of creating a good meal, never in doubt.

He fell in love and trained as a chef, his relationship followed him into marketing, advertising and branding, and today he's manifesting it again at the Berlin Bear, the Krugersdorp restaurant he calls his happy place.

His love of food also spawned his other, first love. As a student, he discovered his other vocation.

"I was studying to be a chef, but spent more time designing menus than cooking," Du Toit said.

Detail was his burden as well as his pursuit, and soon after finishing off at food school he segued to marketing and the look and feel of, well, stuff. The lessons stayed, but he applied them elsewhere.

Du Toit was nineteen when he launched his first ad agency.

"Food was still there though. I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning and had to formulate my own strategic thinking."