Cape Town chef and restaurateur Reuben Riffel flew to New York for nine minutes of fame as a guest on the Today and The Martha Stewart shows.

He told Weekend Argus that his five-day visit to the Big Apple had been “a blitz”.

He added: “It was like a media machine, a factory line, you go on and off and the next guest is waiting.

“We landed and drove straight to Stewart’s studio. I spoke to her for two minutes beforehand and then I was in front of the cameras for just five minutes. She asked me questions on the country as she has been here before.”

With his food in front of the cameras, Riffel focused on South African flavours. One of the dishes had a bit of peri-peri, which got up Stewart’s nose. “She wanted to know what it was. I explained that it was a South Africa chilli spice. I wasn’t nervous or intimidated by her.”

Next he made a guest appearance on the Today Show, which has 4,5 million viewers.

“I was on for four minutes and prepared three dishes – fish fritters and rooibos tea salt, roast fish with apricots and jam, and curried pickled fish. Everything was prepared beforehand. So I went through the steps and spoke to the presenter. “