Brad Ball is the 'tour de force' behind Bistro Sixteen82, the innovative new Bistro-style cellar door restaurant. He boasts an impressive career spanning some twelve years, and has gained a sterling reputation as one of Cape Town's foremost bistro dining specialists.

Bistro Sixteen82, named after the year in which the Steenberg farm was first established, offers an interactive dining experience, including a unique Raw Bar. A feast for the senses, this food-and-wine destination sets a new precedent for the Constantia Valley.

Hailing from a self-professed 'foodie family' he spent his formative years in the beautiful Constantia Valley, where he learned the basics of cooking from his mother who managed a successful catering company, affording valuable insight into the industry to young Brad.

Brad matriculated from SACS (South African College School) in Rondebosch in 1992, and then trained as a navy diver in the South African Navy. Although his desire to become a chef had already been awakened, his deep-seated love of food and cooking only really surfaced in earnest while assisting his erstwhile partner in her catering company, augmenting this with electrical contract work to pay the bills. However, the defining moment arrived when a local restaurant served him an exemplary Tuna Nicoise - a taste which he professes to have filed forever in the memory cells of his palate, thus inspiring him to apply for his first position as a chef. His two year tenure as Commis Chef at Simon's Table in Simon's Town from 1997 was to be his first determined stride in the direction of becoming the accomplished chef and restaurateur he is today.

From 1999 until 2001 he worked under the guidance of Chef patron Rowley Leigh (widely acknowledged as the father of modern British cuisine) at London's renowned Kensington Place, gaining invaluable international experience. It was also here that his love of bistro style food was born.

This was followed by a three year stint (2001 - 2004) as Head Chef at Olympia Cafe and Deli in Kalk Bay, Cape Town, further expanding his knowledge of bistro style cuisine. Tenures at the Post House Hotel & Restaurant in Greyton in the Overberg where he worked for 5 months in 2004; the Pastis Brasserie in Constantia, Cape Town, where his duties extended to back and front of house operations (2004 - 2005); and finally at The River Cafe, (2006 - 2007) afforded him a reputation as one of Cape Town's leading bistro dining specialists. Here he also gained in-depth insight into and experience of the overall workings of both the kitchen and the business of running a restaurant. He then went on to establish his own catering consultancy, before accepting the opportunity to join the Steenberg Vineyards team.

Adhering to the philosophy that simple is better, and 'local is lekker', Brad loves creating dishes with clean flavours from fresh, seasonal produce. He firmly believes that a good chef simply enhances the essential flavour of each ingredient or product. He favours classically based menus, and is inspired by the clean, fresh flavours of Japanese cuisine, and the simplicity of rustic Provencal food.

Chefs who inspire him are celebrated British chef John Campbell, now Executive Chef at the Coworth Park Hotel in Dorchester (UK). Brad cites Campbell's genius in combining complex elements into dishes that look and feel simple and natural, as the mark of a truly great chef. On the local front he cites award-winning chef Bertus Basson at Overture in Stellenbosch as one of South Africa's leading chefs, and an ongoing inspiration. Among his mentors are Chef Patrons Rudi Minnaar and Hugh von Zhan of Beluga Restaurant in Cape Town, with whom he worked previously at Pastis Brasserie. He attributes to them his ability to operate a successful restaurant.

However, he firmly assigns his success in life to his wife Chantel, whom he met in 2004 and married in November 2005. A devoted father of two toddlers, Kyle (4) and Katherine (2), he spends his leisure time either rustling up a delicious meal at home with his family, or with family and friends on one of Cape Town's idyllic beaches.

Whether donning his hat as a devoted family man or as one of Cape Town's top dining specialists, he is known to pour his heart and soul into whatever he does.

With Brad at the helm, guests at Bistro Sixteen82 can look forward to an unsurpassed, informal dining experience, delivered with passion and pizzaz, in one of the most beautiful settings in the world.