From the streets of Karasburg to the Las Vegas racecourse

On the drizzly Saturday of 22 November 2025, Heinrich Stasiuk is preparing to put on one of his best performances – cooking for over 5 000 people at a Las Vegas racecourse in the United States (US).

As a final token of victory, he mounts a small Namibian flag to signal that “the chef in charge is a Namibian”, for anyone who wants to know.

With a strong team of 160 chefs and 300 waiters and bartenders behind him, Stasiuk gets to work – giving instructions to ensure everything is in order for the Formula One (F1) drivers and their spectators from across the world.

In the US, Stasiuk (45) has earned the respect of the culinary world by opening 34 restaurant chains under the Wild Thyme Restaurant Group in five different states, including Nevada, California and Arizona.

The Karasburg-born chef has moved ahead of competitors by landing a 10-year contract from F1 to cater for the biggest annual event on its calendar – The Heineken F1 Grand Prix in Nevada.

“Big American companies bid for the contract, but they gave it to me. I’m truly humbled,” he says.

FINE DINING

Among those enjoying his lip-smacking dishes are British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, American former professional basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, and artists such as Jay Z, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Boys II Men and Backstreet Boys.

After three years of serving celebrities during F1 races, Stasiuk has come to know their personal tastes.

“Lewis Hamilton is a vegetarian, so I serve him a special cashew nut sauce with cauliflower steak that includes jackfruits and vegan barbecue,” he says. “A Brazilian picanha with a red chimichurri sauce is O’Neal’s favourite dish.”

The speed, precision, and heat in Stasiuk’s Las Vegas kitchen almost recalls the roaring engines on the racecourse, where thousands of supporters cheer on the drivers. The stakes are high.

The sweat and the glory is part of the thrill – and the grill.

He says planning a menu that matches the grandeur of F1 starts a year in advance.

This is Stasiuk and his team’s period of trial and error, where they experiment and taste different recipes before the big week.

“Everything has to be planned to ensure we come up with the best taste, including logistics and the type of menu. The F1 organisers normally try out the dishes to see if they are to their satisfaction,” he says.

The 2025 race saw Stasiuk serving beef and seafood, with lemon prawn pasta topped with orange zest sauce.

“I never dreamt that as a boy from Kharasburg, I would be contracted to cater for F1 in Las Vegas.

I grew up hearing about Las Vegas through the TV,” Stasiuk tells The Namibian in an interview at his new restaurant in Windhoek.

Zest, which promises patrons a Mediterranean experience, opened last September.

A second restaurant in Windhoek, called Tide Six, opens on Monday.

“Born in California but built in Windhoek is the main idea behind the new restaurant,” Stasiuk says.

His motto: “No dream is too small with hard work and consistency.”

RAISED ON SOUTHERN ‘POTJIEKOS’

Stasiuk was raised on potjiekos on a farm in the south. He was born to a Namibian mother and an Austrian father, a chef who came to Namibia in the late 1970s.

He says he got his inspiration from his food-loving family who loved preparing lamb, especially his grandmother.
“I grew up with a family that loves cooking.

When I was between six and seven, I was intrigued and started cooking,” he says. “I fell in love with the lamb curry dish and I put my own spin on the dish.”

After graduating from Jan Mohr High School, Stasiuk left Namibia for Austria at 17.

“Members of the ||Kharas community support each other. They saw something in me, believed in me and encouraged me to get out of the country, see what is out there and explore,” he says.

In Austria, Stasiuk studied hotel management before moving to Arizona, where he worked for Marriott Hotel as a director for six years.

He remembers starting off cleaning tables and serving as a waiter.

“I gave my best, as in everything I do,” he says.
In 2007, he opened his first restaurant.

“Thyme is like the earth, I just loved the play on the name,” he says.

Hard work and consistency kept him afloat, he says.

“It’s challenging behind the scenes. A lot of my directors and staff have lengthy meetings on video calls for six to seven, eight months to get together as a team. Behind the scenes, people don’t see the hustle,”

He says his team has been with him from the start.

In Zest’s backyard, the Namibian team of seven chefs grows the vegetables used in dishes.

“Whatever you serve has to be consistent. I don’t subscribe to one specific style – from fine dining, Mexican, American, sushi, Asian – I love to be innovative,” he says.

When Stasiuk is not in the kitchen, he goes hunting.

“I love hunting, spending time with my family, and drinking Namibian beer while entertaining guests at home,” he says.

Although Stasiuk is no longer getting his hands greasy in the kitchen, he hired a chief executive in the US two years ago to run his restaurant chain.

“My job became a desk job. I took a step back, but here in Windhoek I get involved in the kitchen.”

He has no further plans to expand in the US.

“I see growth in Namibia. I don’t have a specific target of how many restaurants I want to open, I just go with the flow to see if it makes sense,” he says.

He adds that money was never a motivation for him. “It was all about good food, the monetary side of it follows.”

Stastiuk believes Namibia has a lot of opportunities, especially within the of oil and gas sector.

“It a big opportunity for our people. We need to be ready, scale up their skills,” he says, adding that he has plans to train young aspiring Namibian chefs.

His advice to young people?
“Pick something you know you’re good at, consistency is everything. There is no way around hard work.”

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