Archive for May, 2010
Friday, May 28th, 2010
Liam’s Basic Techniques and Methods of Cookery course starts tomorrow, and we’ve just had a cancellation. If you’re keen to join this in-depth and practical course (see below) and earn your chefs jacket, please do give us a call. There’s just one place that’s come available…
About the course…
This is a comprehensive 20-Class Cookery Course, hosted by Liam Tomlin, that will turn any aspiring cook into a gastronomic dynamo. Taking place every alternate Saturday, the 4-hr courses will give participants the ability to tackle pretty much any recipe out there once completed. The course will provide a solid understanding of how the chemistry of food works, and why ingredients work together as they do. Liam will conduct an intimate session with a maximum 24 participants, which provides one-on-one interaction. The information and techniques gained here will broadly widen your food knowledge, increase your cooking ability and enhance your appreciation of food and wine. See the full outline under the website classes menu, or email us for the brochure PDF.
Tags: Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking class, Liam Tomlin
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Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Browsing through the Chefs Warehouse shop is something only for those either keen to purchase or with a very strong will. There are some seriously tempting items around. From tins of Karoo Virgin olive oil to slabs of Callebaut chocolate to bags of Japanese green tea, there are tons of delicious items on the food side. On the product side, just as many.
Like these rather cute but very functional Le Creuset individual soup pots, pictured here in ‘flame’ colour option. It’s winter and you know you’re going to be making soup, so these oven/microwave safe pots are a neat way to serve them in style.
Another part of the shop that attracts a lot of attention is the table out front literally overflowing with baking items. Cookie cutters (fluted and round), piping bags, muffin trays and molds of every shape and size you can imagine. It’s all here.
Three books that are worth a browse are these above three: The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson, who preaches simplicity, practicality and sensitivity through his recipes that are all appealing, whether you’re vegetarian or not. RAW by Charlie Trotter & Roxanne Klein is another gem, superbly laid out and filled with inspiring and sometimes challenging recipes. Things like Shiitake Mushroom Soup with Lime Radish and Winged Beans. Then there’s Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen. Everybody enjoys good dumplings when visiting restaurants, but with Nguyen’s recipes and easy-to-understand line drawings, she makes it achievable at home.
Tags: Asian Dumplings, baking items, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cookbooks, green tea, Karoo Virgin olive oil, Le Creuset, Liam Tomlin, RAW, The Vegetarian Option
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
In case you have missed these ridiculously cool – and let’s not forget very useful – chopping boards we have at Chefs Warehouse – here they are. Not only are they made from solid quality European beech wood, but the informative illustrations provide a unique element that also makes them look great in your kitchen. Have a look…
Tags: Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, chopping boards, Liam Tomlin
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
At Chefs Warehouse we now have our very own wine guru. Guy Harcourt-Wood returns to Cape Town after spending the last seven years serving wine – exceptionally good wine, that is – in London’s finest Michel-starred restaurants. His thorough understanding of the international wine trade and educated palate, gained from regular drinking of the best estate wines from across the world, provides him with a broad base of knowledge. His local knowledge is also solid – since his return he’s been doing freelance wine writing (aside from other wine ventures), which has meant days cruising the winelands sampling with some of the top producers. Ah, the joys of the wine business.
Guy will be be hosting a series of interesting wine classes at Chefs Warehouse, where he’s determined to unearth and share some of our local gems with participants. He’ll also be exploring some foreign wines too, with a Champagne and food evening on the horizon. We’ll keep you informed once we’ve set some dates to his classes. Check back here soon or send us a mail to info@chefswarehouse.co.za if you’re keen to find out more.
Tags: Cape Town wine classes, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, Guy Harcourt-Wood, Liam Tomlin, wine guru
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Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
If you asked a world-class chef to design something that incorporates everything he needs in a work table, it would probably end up like this. Why? Because that’s exactly what happened here. Introducing the Chefs Warehouse Mise en Place work table, as designed by Liam Tomlin. By definition, mise en place means ‘everything in it’s right place’ and this is exactly what this work table does. Custom designed by Liam and made to spec, this all-encompassing chefs work table includes cutting boards, removable cheese boards, glass holders, a wine rack, knife holders and an extendable ‘hot pot’ stand. It also includes storage drawers and shelves for the rest of your kitchen equipment.
If you simply took one of these, stocked it and put it in your kitchen, you’d probably have the most kitted out home kitchen in your neighbourhood. The base is cast iron, the counter solid ash wood. And it’s stable, very stable. Each Mise en place work table is a one-off, so it can be designed exactly to your requirements. It can have a sink or power supply. Chefs Warehouse is busy putting one together designed for wine tasting, as well as one designed for bread and pastry making.
If you’re interested in one of these, for your home kitchen, restaurant, country house or wherever, please get in touch with us via info@chefswarehouse.co.za.
Tags: Cape Town Cooking Courses, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, kitchen equipment, Liam Tomlin, Mise en place work table
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Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
We found this article from the Sydney Morning Herald seriously interesting. The chef of a top Sydney restaurant has asked to hand back the most prestigious restaurant accolade in Australia. Awarded the three-hat status by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide (a hat is like a Michelin star), chef Greg Doyle of restaurant Pier has asked to hand the award back. He claims he ‘doesn’t want the intensity of it anymore,’ stating that his regulars don’t come regularly because of the status a three-hat recognition has given his restaurant. As of this week, he’s going to be serving a simpler menu aimed at the locals that made them successful. He does have a point – read the entire article here and see for yourself. Rather interesting. Imagine if La Colombe refused to acknowledge their place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list…?
Tags: Chefs Warehouse, cooking school, restaurants, sydney morning herald, three-hat
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Monday, May 17th, 2010
Signal Hill, which used to run from the Mandela Rhodes place a few years back, has reopened in Cape Town city centre in the historical Heritage Square. The enigmatic Jean-Vincent Ridon (and his new partner Kyle Zulch) have taken over a quaint hole-in-the-wall space, just large enough for a few barrels, tables, chairs and a champagne riddling rack. They’re also serving food (prepared by neighbouring Caveau), offering wine and food pairings, something most wine tasting rooms could get a hint from. Pop past to say hi and you’re likely to run into other wine industry pundits there too. You’re also likely to get poured a glass of sparkling wine or whatever else they have open at the time. JV Ridon is a firm believer that Cape Town should possess vineyards and make wine in the city, as it did 350 years ago, and is busy seeking new areas to plant that will add to his current ‘urban vineyards.’ The winery at Heritage Square, 100 Shortmarket Street, is open from 11am – 7pm during the week (and from 12pm – 5pm Saturdays).
Tags: Cape Town, Chefs Warehouse, Jean-Vincent Ridon, Signal Hill, wine
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Friday, May 14th, 2010
That’s right. As we mentioned, Luke Dale-Roberts from La Colombe will be hosting a cooking class at Chefs Warehouse. Luke will be here on 15th June, to show off some of the secrets and techniques that helped La Colombe recently receive 12th position on the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Luke has pretty much worked in kitchens of some of the best restaurants in London, Europe and Asia. He’s done French at Elenas L’Etoile in London. He’s done Pacific Rim fusion under the Greenwood in Sydney. He’s done the ‘cooking for the rich and famous’ at Soho House in London. He’s done French cuisine in Singapore and Malaysia, Japanese in Korea and Asian-Mediterranean in the Philippines. And since 2006 he’s brought his creativity and experience to La Colombe in Cape Town where he’s won Eat Out Chef of the Year 2008 and Eat Out Restaurant of the Year 2009 awards. He’s got nothing left to prove, really!
Imagination and technique are what sets him apart, and are what’s going to make this class special. Your chance to interact one-on-one with South Africa’s best chef at Chefs Warehouse is June 15th, so book now – seats are going to be in short supply!
Tags: Cape Town, Cape Town Cooking Courses, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, Luke Dale-Roberts
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Thursday, May 13th, 2010
As promised, some more pictures from last week’s great class with Neil Jewell. It was a real treat, and we’ve had some fantastic feedback from guests that attended. If you want to get involved, checkout our upcoming class with Alex Mueller from Pure on the 24th. It’s going to be an evening of refined cuisine by this talented chef. Get the details here or simply email us on info@chefswarehouse.co.za to find out more.
Tags: cape town cooking school, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, Liam Tomlin, Neil Jewell, The Pig
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Alex Mueller from Pure restaurant is coming to Chefs Warehouse. And he’s asked for an ice cream machine. The German-born international chef is going to show participants how to make salty peanut butter ice cream. Not just to serve on its own, but to go with ravioli of quince with soft caramel, rose pelargonium foam. Yup, the man is a fine-dining cuisine maestro. Alex is here on the 24th of May to show participants how to add a new edge to their cooking at home. Though he could show many chefs a thing or too. Things like the roulade of marinated salmon and goats cheese. And Karoo lamb loin in crunchy Oriental layer.
Like our successful pig class last week, guests will have one-on-one interaction with the chef, since there are only 20 seats in the class. And aside from getting course notes and recipes, guests also get to enjoy the food Alex makes, paired together with some superb wines. All this for R575 per person. To book a seat, please email info@chefswarehouse.co.za or contact Rachel on 021 422 0128.
Tags: alex mueller, Cape Town Cooking Courses, Cape Town restaurants, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking class, cooking courses, pure restaurant
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The Food & Wine Bloggers Club is a new venture hosted by Chefs Warehouse, starting this month. The concept partners various food and wine bloggers to share their thoughts on food, wine and social media at a monthly class. Aside from a fun and knowledgeable evening, participants will also enjoy wines paired with gourmet snacks made by Liam himself. The first class on 19th May partners renowned food and wine writer Michael Olivier with Anel Grobler from the popular Spit or Swallow website.
Future speakers in the lineup include Pete Goffe-Wood (Kitchen Cowboys), Pieter Ferreira (Graham Beck), The Foodie (thefoodie.co.za), Mike Ratcliffe (Warwick & Vilafonte), Sam Wilson (Food24), Rob Armstrong (Haut Espoir), Dax Villanueva (Relax-with-Dax), Hein Koegelenberg (La Motte), Clare Mack (spill.co.za), Simon Back (Backsberg), and Emile Joubert (Wine Goggle).
The monthly class begins at 18h00, is two hours long and is limited to 20 people. For bookings, please contact Chris at info@whalecottage.com.
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Monday, May 10th, 2010
Lannice Snyman has passed away this past weekend from stomach cancer. Author of seventeen books, Lannice was a well-known and highly respected food writer and restaurant critic. She will be remembered by all for her inspiring and contageous passion for food and her generosity. Liam has worked with her on several projects, including the World’s 50 Best Restaurants – for which she was the regional head – that voted in La Colombe at 12th position. She will be sorely missed by all in the industry here, and our thoughts go out to her family at this time.
Tags: Chefs Warehouse, lannice snyman
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Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Forget the weather. Forget the bad news. Forget tenderpreneurs. Forget it all. Because last night Neil Jewell came to Chefs Warehouse and hosted a class on cooking with pig, called The Pig. Fitting. Not only did he share his passion for making great cassoulet, stuffing sausages, curing hams and making other pork dishes, he shared his passion for raising animals correctly and humanely. He laid a full pig on the table in front of the 24 guests. He sliced it up and talked through the different parts. Then he showed how to make things with them. Guests tasted through a selection of things like blood pudding, pork skin crackling, Toulouse sausage and more, served with some Moreson wines. It was amazing.
So forget all the other negative nonsense out there for a bit, and think about how positive it is to have people like Neil in the Cape, people making honest, real food of the highest standard. He’s a true artisan, and we want to thank him. It was a full class and a great success. Thanks also to all the guests for participating.
More pics from the night coming shortly…
Tags: bread & wine, Cape Town cooking classes, Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, Liam Tomlin, Neil Jewell, pig
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Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Tomorrow night Neil Jewell will be hosting his class, The Pig, here at Chefs Warehouse, and we can’t wait. We’re also proud to announce the winner of our first competition, who has won a seat at the class tomorrow: Patricia Thorpe. Well done, Patricia! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for an evening of pig delicacies. Mmm, the thought of it is making us hungry again… Please email us on info@chefswarehouse.co.za if you’re also interested in a seat at this class and we can arrange something.
Tags: Chefs Warehouse & Cookery School, cooking classes, Neil Jewell, The Pig
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