Born in South Africa and raised in Cape Town, Richard developed a love of food at an early age but only really started cooking when he left home. Cooking was just a hobby as he first completed an honors degree in Information Systems and then pursued a career in Retail, initially with Marks & Spencer and subsequently Woolworths. Deciding to take the plunge in 2004 and enter the hospitality world, Richard bought a delicatessen in Hermanus and spent five years creating a host of different menus, products and selling a range of imported cured meats.

With the help of fleishmeister Walther Haller, he started making charcuterie at home and selling it in the delicatessen. Based on this early success he decided to focus on curing meats and opened a charcuterie in Cape Town in 2009. Sourcing the finest quality pasture reared pork was one of the key elements of the business and Richard produced the first range of pasture reared cured pork products commercially available in South Africa. in 2020 our bacon, prosciutto and salami were all awarded gold medals at the Aurora International Taste Challenge. With a customer base of over 100 outlets in South Africa Richard has turned his attention to teaching and has run many successful charcuterie courses in South Africa.