“Now, everyone play nicely in our beautiful sandbox,” laughs Vanie Padayachee, the ever-smiling Executive Chef at African Relish in the quaint Karoo village of Prince Albert. After a short session on knife skills our group of a dozen or so wannabe-chefs – recipe books in hand – saunter off to our workstations to dive into the first batch of dishes we’ll be tackling on our ‘Culinary Crusade’ weekend.
 While locals and tourists know this Euro-chic space on Prince Albert’s historic Church Street as one of the finest restaurants in the village, foodies from across the country have been flocking here to take part in what is certainly the heart and soul of African Relish: the recreational cooking classes.
And what a classroom it is. Copper saucepans sway gently on the hanging pot rack where sprigs of rosemary and branches of bay dangle alongside legs of local ham, cured down the road in the Spanish Serrano style. Baskets of veggies, many from the kitchen garden outside the window, wait patiently for their turn on the chopping block.
The space has a relaxed country feel to it, but there’s a touch of style and modernity here too. Sleek workbenches – packed with kitchen gadgets – provide ample elbowroom; a crystal chandelier tinkles gently in front of the wood-oven and enormous Eurogas ranges hiss efficiently along one wall. A sleek coffee machine churns out espressos for guests as they settle in for a day of cooking.
It’s a kitchen that means business, but it’s also a place to play with your food. Vanie’s effervescent energy and passion for all things edible is contagious, and guests are encouraged to ask questions, be creative and get their hands dirty. Which reminds me; you also won’t have to scrub a single saucepan, which makes reaching for a clean pot such a pleasure!
Budding Julia Childs’ can opt to join one of the regular themed weekends that are run throughout the year (ours was co-hosted by legendary local chef and raconteur, Bokkie Botha) or book small group – and even individual – lessons with Vanie.
And it’s an important choice to make.
The themed weekends – which range from Indian cuisine to mastering classic sauces – put the emphasis on the ‘recreational’ in ‘recreational cooking school’, and are best suited to like-minded groups of friends who can dive into the weekend’s recipes together; sharing, laughing and cooking as they go. Included in the package price is accommodation in one of the school’s four beautifully restored Karoo cottages, so there’s ample opportunity to catch up with old friends.
However, the pace can be frenetic at times and if you’re there to master certain dishes or skills you’d do better booking a more focused course with Vanie.
Small group, and even individual, lessons are welcomed and the ever-patient Vanie is only too happy to tailor courses around what you’d like to learn. That said, you’ll still sharpen your skills on the themed weekends as Vanie flits between groups sharing tricks of the trade gleaned from running some of the Cape’s top kitchens.
Regardless of which option you choose it’s a wonderful escape for foodie-minded travellers. Unlike city-based cooking schools, a weekend spent at African Relish is also a much-needed break from lift clubs, to-do lists and DIY chores, that allows you to focus on the important things in life... like friends, and food.
For as the blackboard on the pavement outside African Relish so rightly reminds me on my way home: “One cannot think well, love well and sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
Visit www.africanrelish.co.za or call 023 541 1381. Themed weekends R3500pp, including accommodation and meals. Individual/small group rates on request. Prince Albert is about four hours’ drive from Cape Town, off the N1.
First published in Food&Home Entertaining magazine, September 2010
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