Tag Archives: Francis Krone

‘Chefs who share’ cook up R1,2 million, demonstrating ‘The ART of Giving!

Chefs who share chefsAn unusual recipe of 14 top South African chefs working together in pairs of two in less than ideal temporary kitchen conditions set up outside the City Hall, supported by a sommelier and restaurant serving staff per chef pair, and serving 36 guests a unique four-course menu each, dreamt up by Opulent Living publisher Barbara Lenhard, saw R1195000 raised for charity on Thursday evening, alongside which Chefs who share Barbara Lenhard Whale Cottage Portfoliothe brand new Mercedes-Benz S Class was launched.

The A list event, which was covered by Top Billing and was MCd by Top Billing presenter Bonang Matheba and previous Top Billing and The Dr Mol Show presenter Dr Michael Mol, was first announced in May, and even though the tickets cost R3000, they were snapped up within a very short period of time, leaving many food lovers disappointed that they were Continue reading →

SA Sommeliers Association to add sparkle to MasterChef SA winner prize!

As one of the main sponsors of MasterChef SA, Nederburg brand owner Distell has appointed the recently-formed South African Sommelier Association to develop a 50 hour programme that will enhance the wine knowledge of the MasterChef South Africa winner.  This MasterChef prize is valued at R100 000, monies which will go to developing the Sommeliers Association

Neil Grant, the Chairman of the South African Sommeliers Association, and co-owner of Burrata, said that he met with Distell, and they brainstormed what the winner of MasterChef should know about wines, to complement his/her food knowledge.  As they do not know who has won, they can only finalise the exact course outline once the MasterChef South Africa winner is announced on 17 July.  The Wine education course will introduce the winner to the wine regions in the Winelands, and to the wineries of the region.  The winner will meet some of the winemakers, will be taken to eat at Eat Out Top 10 restaurants, will meet other sommeliers, will do sparkling wine tastings, will be taught how to open a bottle of wine and sparkling wine, and how to pour them.  The Sommeliers Association will also be available to the Masterchef South Africa winner on a consultative basis.

Neil will be supported in presenting the wine course for the MasterChef South Africa winner by his fellow Sommeliers Association committee members of Miguel Chan of Southern Sun, Jörg Pfùtzner of Fine Wine Events, Mia Mârtensson of The Winery of Good Hope, and Francis Krone of The Saxon.  Nederburg will provide a year’s supply of its Winemaster’s Reserve, and its winemaker Razvan Macici will conduct masterclasses with the MasterChef South Africa winner.

The South African Sommeliers Association was established in 2010 to help uplift and promote the service of wine, and its mission is “To promote a culture of fine wine, food and service excellence in Southern Africa”. The Association will offer training and mentorships to grow the professional standards. It represents the profession in this country, and liaises with similar associations internationally.  It will accredit sommeliers educated and trained by the association, promote the Sommelier profession, offer a platform for information exchange, and encourage an interest in the ‘culture of fine wine, food and service excellence’, writes Sommelier Miguel Chan on his blog.  The Executive Committee also includes Higgo Jacobs and Kent Scheermeyer.

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

Western Cape sparkles in Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award!

Six of the ten Semi-Finalists for the Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award come from Cape Town and the Winelands, and go through to the Semi-Finals, which take place in Cape Town and Johannesburg next month.

The Semi-Finalists come from top hotels and restaurants.  In the Cape they are Gregory Mutambe from the Twelve Apostles Hotel, David Nel from La Colombe, Joakim Blackadder from The Roundhouse, Josephine Gutentoft from Grande Roche, Carl Habel from the Mount Nelson, and Wayve Kolevsohn from Le Quartier Français.  The Oyster Box’s Eric Botha is the sole KwaZulu-Natal Semi-Finalist, while Mike Buthelezi from Signature, Sean Trollip from Kream, and Francis Krone from the Saxon Boutique Hotel are the Gauteng-based Semi-Finalists.  To get to the Semi-Finalist stage, the candidates had to write an ‘open book test’.  In the Semi-Finals, wine styles and tasting will be tested blind, as will be their ability to make food and wine pairing recommendations, and their professionalism in wine service.

The competition is endorsed by the recently formed South African Sommelier Association, of which Neil Grant at Rust en Vrede is the Chairman.  Members of the Association will assist in the judging.  The competition is organised by Michael Fridjhon, importing Riedel glassware, and Vinimark The Wine Company, importers of Champagne Bollinger. The winner of the competition will be announced on 11 November, and will win a trip to France to visit the House of Champagne Bollinger.

Entry criteria included a minimum three year experience in the hospitality industry, employment in food or wine service in South Africa, and entrants to be 21 years or older.  They were also expected to have a knowledge of wine styles and terminology, wine label information, wine regulations, regions of origin, international wine regions, identify wines in a blind tasting, service, food and wine pairing, wine storage, and an ability to interact with customers.  “The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award has been established to bring focus and recognition of achievement to the growing group of professional wine waiters in South Africa”, states the media release.

We wish the Semi-Finalists good luck in the next stage of the Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award.

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