A new service which Liam Tomlin Food is introducing at its new Leopard’s Leap venue is a series of Chef’s Table lunches, allowing one to experience first-hand not only the cooking methods and recipes of international Chef Liam Tomlin, but also to eat his food.

Liam Tomlin Food Culinary Studio opened about a month ago, and has a state of the art demonstration kitchen for 24 students at a time.  It also has ample seating for about 50 food lovers, who can follow what the demonstration chef prepares on TV screens above the work counter. Cooking classes and food demonstrations have been scheduled, as have a number of  Chef’s Table events, both at which Chef Liam will prepare meals which are paired with Leopard’s Leap wines.

The Chef’s Table food preparation is interactive, allowing participants to ask questions, and they will receive recipes for the dishes which the chefs prepared.  On scheduled weekdays a 90 minute 3-course lunch will be offered, at R250, and on weekends a 2 ½ hour 4-course lunch costs R350. The programme for the first quarter of next year is as follows:

13 January:  Italy (11h00 – 13h00)

20 January:   Gourmet Fast Food (11h00 – 13h00)

27 January:  Chinese New Year (11h00 – 13h00)

3 February:  Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook demonstration with Pierneef à La Motte Chef Chris Erasmus and writer Hetta van Deventer

4 February:  Grape, focusing on which food one should pair with which wines (11h00 – 13h00)

10 February:  Poultry (11h00 – 13h00)

24 February:  Feasting on a budget (11h00 – 13h00)

2 March:  Gone Fishing (11h00 – 13h00)

9 March:   Vegetarian (11h00 – 13h00)

16 March:  France (11h00 – 13h00)

23 March:   Meet the Meats (11h00 – 13h00)

30 March:  Spanish Fiesta (11h00 – 13h00)

Cooking classes and food demonstrations have been scheduled for the first three months of 2012, many of the four-hour classes falling on Saturdays, but some on weekdays too. Participants receive a recipe folder. The programme is as follows:

14 January:   Around the World: Italy, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

21 January:   Gourmet Fast Food, 9h30 – 13h30, R450

28 January:   Chinese New Year, celebrating the Year of the Dragon, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

8 February:   Valrhona Chocolate Valentine’s Day Dessert with Vanessa Quellec, 9h30 – 13h00, R700. Includes plating, tempering chocolate, the emulsion method, pastry dough, and ice-cream making and churning.

11 February:  Poultry, demonstrating how to use every part of a bird, how to make duck confit, tunnel boning and stuffing the legs, and making savoury mousse, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

14 February:   Valentine’s Couples Evening, with Chef Liam preparing a 4-course meal built on indulgence, including oysters, caviar, strawberries, and chocolate, paired with sparkling wine, 18h30 – 21h30, R650

18 February:  Knife skills for slicing, dicing, and chopping, 9h30 – 13h30, R400

25 February:   Feasting on a budget, providing handy tips on how to stretch core ingredients, 9h30 – 13h30, R400.

29 February, 7 March, 14 March, 21 March, and 28 March: Back to Basics on Stocks, Soups and Consommé, Savoury Sauces and Compound Butters, Meat and Poultry, and Desserts, 9h30 – 13h30, R3000 for the five courses.

3 March:  Gone Fishing, providing guidance on how to scale, fillet, trim, portion and prepare fish. 9h30 – 13h30, R650.

10 March: Vegetarian, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

17 March: Little Chefs: Learning to Bake, for 8 – 12 year olds, 10h00 – 13h00, R200.

24 March:   Meet the Meats, 9h30 – 13h30, R650

31 March:  Around the World: Spain, 9h30 – 13h30, R650.

Liam Tomlin Food also has a Chef’s Store, selling kitchen equipment, appliances, crockery, cutlery, glassware, knives, utensils, spices, chocolate, teas, and preserves.  Gift vouchers, gift wrapping and a wedding registry service is also offered. The Store will be selling fresh produce from the Winelands next year, and we were told yesterday that Chef Liam will prepare a number of food items that can be bought to enjoy at Leopard’s Leap.  A new rotisserie has been installed, and one will be able to buy roast chicken too.  Chef Liam will only make a certain number of items per day.  Picnics will commence in the summer of 2012/2013.  Brands stocked in the Chef’s Store include Valrhona, De Villiers chocolate, Staub, Lavazza, Bamix, Scanpan, Riedel, Maxwell & Williams, Wüsthoff, Bodum, Nielsen & Massey, Krups, Kitchen Aid, and Le Creuset.

Liam Tomlin’s Banc Restaurant was named Sydney’s best in 2001.  He is a member of the British Airways Taste Team, and moved to Cape Town in 2004, initially as a consultant to hotels, restaurants, and wine estates.  Last year he opened the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School in Cape Town. He has written a number of cookery books, including ‘A Season to Taste’.

POSTSCRIPT 8/1: We have added a new Chef’s Table lunch for 3 February to the list above.

POSTSCRIPT 13/1:  We received an e-mail today, announcing that all but one of the Chef’s Tables on Fridays have been rescheduled for 11h00 – 13h00, to accommodate Franschhoek mothers having to fetch their children from school.

Liam Tomlin Food, Leopard’s Leap Vineyards, Main Road/R45, outside Franschhoek. Tel (021) 876-8822. www.liamtomlinfood.com. Twitter: @LiamTomlinFood

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