Cooking With a South African Master Chef: A Cape Town Study-Abroad Experience

We squeezed out of the crowded van with barely an idea of what the night would have in store--only the hint that we would be experiencing something called a “food jam.” Our group of giddy service learners, RAs, and a couple elegantly dressed CIEE staff members walked down the quiet suburban street and through the gates of the unassuming residence where the mystery was to reveal itself. Curiosity shaped into wonder as we were seated at a banquet-sized picnic table on the candlelit, stone-tiled patio. Cucumbers, mint, pineapples, and lemons hung like tree ornaments from the ivy-covered trellis above us. The scene was of a fairytale, and into it bounced our effervescent host, whose unique presence and boundless energy made her too resemble something from a storybook. She was introduced as Jade de Waal, a former Master Chef contestant who would be guiding us through culinary adventure. But first, like many great evenings, ours would begin with a drink. With the butcher knives laid out before us, we were instructed to cut down any ingredients that gave us inspiration and use them to construct the cocktail of our choice. The only prerequisites were playfulness and creativity, attributes that would ultimately compose the central theme of our experience.

Jade navigated through the throng of amateur mixologists, stopping to chat and pass out name tags for our foreheads. On each was a place, person, or object famous to South Africa that we were to guess by questioning those around us. After we found our answers (some through a bit of cheating), the instructions for the Food Jam began and our name tags were given an additional purpose. Waiting for us inside were various cooking stations labeled by the names on our tags. Our host explained that while each station was stocked with ingredients for a specific recipe, we should feel free and even encouraged to make it our own with anything we could find in the expansive kitchen. The goal of the evening was to channel creativity, have fun, and find inspiration in the food and each other--with maybe a bit of help from a hefty glass of wine. With excitement high, we entered the house to find our stations and our partners.

Paired with none other than CIEE’s own Alecia Ludidi, I began to peruse our recipe. We got chakalaka--a red pepper salad traditionally served over a stiff porridge resembling mashed potatoes called “pap.” As this dish is often served alongside barbecued meat, I had tried it once before at the famous braai restaurant, Mzoli’s. Alecia set to work on the pap, and I began cutting veggies for the chakalaka. Using a portable gas range, I cooked a chopped onion to translucency before tossing in a few cloves of garlic and grated ginger. Next was a couple diced red bell peppers and jalapeños along with a handful of curry powder. Once everything was coated in spice, in went a can of diced tomatoes and two tablespoons of tomato paste. I spent the next ten minutes diligently stirring with one hand and sipping Chenin Blanc with the other. The atmosphere was buzzing with energetic music and the dancing aromas of at least ten different in-progress dishes.

 

With an extra handful of ginger and a pinch of sugar and salt, my dish was complete and I had the opportunity to investigate the progress of the others. Behind me was a bubbling pot of chicken stew, and in front, a pile of beautiful pink prawns. I walked around the boisterous kitchen space to find lamb kebabs searing, gatsbys assembling, and pasta dough rolling. My personal favorite was sliced baguette topped with bleu cheese, roasted mushrooms, and crispy fried sage. Jade mingled as well to offer her experienced assistance and words of encouragement. One by one, dishes were plated and placed on the banquet table in the dreamy outdoors, each acting as a brush stroke painting the image of our feast. The energy from the process of creation soothed into a calm contentment as we looked proudly upon our collective accomplishment. Success was confirmed by that silence unique to hungry bellies enjoying a spectacular meal, which in turn created the opportunity for reflection. The boundaries between our various roles in our shared program were allowed to slip away into the evening through a method that only collaborative effort and good food can facilitate, and many found reward in stretching the limits of their abilities. A Food Jam could be described in many ways--a cooking lesson, a party, a gem in my experience of Cape Town--but most importantly it’s proof that only one ingredient is necessary to create something beautiful: good people working together.

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Photos by Won Joon Lee

Click here for more information about Food Jams