The second Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting takes place at the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School on Thursday 1 July at 18h00 – 20h00, and features two highly regarded food and wine personalities.

Pete Goffe-Wood is a respected food alchemist, who is a judge for Eat Out’s Top 10 restaurant list, runs Kitchen Cowboys cooking workshops, is a restaurant consultant, and opened Wild Woods restaurant in Hout Bay early this year.   Pieter Ferreira is a renowned winemaker at Graham Beck Wines, specialising in Cap Classique, and is so good at it that he is called “Pieter Bubbles”.  He has been a Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year.  Both will talk about their blogs, and will share their blogging experiences and tips.   Pieter Ferriera will also take bloggers through a Graham Beck wine-tasting.

The Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club was started to meet bloggers’ needs to learn something new about Social Media Marketing, and given that there is no Bloggers’ Manual to teach one about blogging, the Bloggers Club focuses on food and wine blogging, and “pairs” a food blogger with a wine blogger. Every month a different food and wine blogger pair addresses the Bloggers’ Club meeting.

Liam Tomlin, owner of the new Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School in the Cape Town city centre, has come on board as a partner in the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, and his Cookery School will host the meetings. He will also make snacks to match the wine that the Wine Blogger will be presenting during his/her talk.

Each of the selected wine and food bloggers speak for 30 minutes about his/her blog, giving a description of the content, spelling out their goals, and providing guidelines to the other bloggers present about how to be a better blogger. Bloggers attending will then be able to ask questions, and to meet the other Bloggers present.

The programme of speakers for future Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting are Mike Ratcliffe of Warwick Wine Estate and Vilafonte Blog, Sam Wilson of Food24 Blogs, Rob Armstrong of Haut Espoir, Dax Villanueva of Relax-with-Dax Blog, Hein Koegelenberg of  La Motte and Hein Koegelenberg Blog, Clare Mack of Spill Blog, Simon Back of Backsberg Blog, and Emile Joubert of Wine Goggle Blog. Future Club meetings will be held on 28 July, 18 August, 22 September, 20 October, and 24 November.

The Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School is a stockist of the most wonderful local and imported kitchenware, glassware, crockery, utensils, pots, as well as a broad range of unusual ingredients, oils, essences, and teas. Chef Liam Tomlin was the co-owner of Banc, Sydney’s top restaurant, whilst he was there.

To attend a meeting of the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, or to volunteer to be a speaker, please e-mail Chris von Ulmenstein  at info@whalecottage.com. All aspirant bloggers, avid Blog readers wishing to meet their blogging heroes in person, and regular bloggers are welcome to join the Club! Attendance costs R 150 per meeting, payable in advance by bank transfer or credit card.   Attendance is limited to 20 persons per meeting, so bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

The Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School is at 50 New Church Street.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com