South African Lizzie Binder of Bar Bambino

Many professional chefs remember poring over the glossy pages of food magazines at an early age. But for Lizzie Binder, who grew up in Durban, South Africa, during apartheid-era sanctions, these images were more than a potential cooking project. They were a reminder of the unattainable culinary experiences to be had in far-off lands.

Today, as executive chef at Bar Bambino in San Francisco, Binder immerses herself in such experiences every day. She and restaurant owner Christopher Losa are both staunch Italo-philes, changing the menu frequently to reflect various seasons and regions of Italian cooking.

"Chris and I get on well because we share a great love for Italian cuisine and culture," says Binder. "The menu is shaped by my experience cooking around the world and Chris' extensive travels in Italy."

Binder has cooked professionally in London, France, Scotland, Sydney and San Francisco, but her trailblazing ways began before she left South Africa. After graduating from Durban's Christina Martin School of Food and Wine, she took her first job as a cook at Blue Mountain Lodge in Kroger National Park.

"The executive chef had a breakdown a few months into the job," Binder recalls. "I jumped at the opportunity to take charge with my friend on the line. We started getting all sorts of attention because we were these two college-age girls running the kitchen at a five-star luxury resort."

This illustrious position in Africa was exciting, but for Binder the exotica from the magazine pages of her childhood was a lingering call to action. When apartheid sanctions were lifted in 1994, the world came calling.

The young chef moved to London, where she worked at Clarke's, owned by Sally Clarke, often called the "Alice Waters of London."

"I will never forget the smells and gorgeous cheeses, pies and cakes that greeted me every day there," says Binder. "This is where my understanding of organic, clean eating began."

After living and working in Europe for 2 1/2 years, Binder felt New York was a natural next step in her culinary career, but a cousin persuaded her to try San Francisco first. A few months later, the 23-year-old Binder was cooking with the opening team at Jardiniere.

A team player with unrestrained enthusiasm for her work, Binder earned the employee of the year award from Traci des Jardins in 2000. In the same year, her American work visa expired.

Still plagued by the travel bug, Binder set out on a journey with chef friends from Jardiniere. The trip began with Kathmandu, Nepal; India; and Southeast Asia, and ended with her 2004 engagement to fellow chef Michael Binder.

The couple are now raising two children, Benjamin, 3, and Zadie, 10 months, at their Napa Valley home. When she can, Binder involves her children with cooking family meals.

On a recent evening, Binder prepared Minestra Maritata, a favorite family recipe that "fills the house with such wonderful smells."

She hoists Zadie and Benjamin up to the steaming pot. Zadie takes in the bubbling sight, and Benjamin "does the salt," sprinkling a thin train of seasoning with a remarkably studied touch for a 3-year-old.

She weaves her children into the cooking process so enthusiastically it's natural to wonder if she hopes they'll be chefs like their parents.

"We want our children to eat well and have an appreciation for cooking," Binder says. "What they choose to do professionally is their own decision."

But as the family gathers at the table, it seems as if nature and nurture may be conspiring against her. Mom and Dad raise their wineglasses. Zadie gnaws on fennel sausage from Lucca, Binder's preferred vendor. And Benjamin looks Mom earnestly in the eye as he raises his sippy cup with a bright "Cheers!"

Carolyn Alburger is a freelance writer in San Francisco. E-mail her at food@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page K - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle