What's cookin' good lookin'? Masterclass at the Radisson Red

Just in case you’ve been living under a mushroom for the past few years, Zola is the sparkly chef who conjures up gorgeous dishes on breakfast TV, which is usually the time when your sole contribution to gourmet excellence is a bowl of soggy cornflakes or slightly cremated bread. She’s also whipped up a cookbook on the side called Simply Delicious.

Morné, on the other hand, heads up the Radisson Red kitchen, and has a passion for rooibos tea which borders on obsession. In fact, it goes into everything he cooks.

Anyway, the two have teamed up to present a once-a-month Masterclass programme over the next three months to present wholesome easy cooking with a contemporary twist to an intimate audience of 12.

I got to go to the first one, which, given the wintery chill that’s beset Cape Town lately, was aptly themed around curry. We were greeted at the door of OuiBar & KTCHN, the industrial look hotel eatery, with very pretty G&Ts flavoured with mint, cucumber and pink peppercorns.

The evening played out with an interactive cooking demo full of banter and useful tips (who knew you should peel ginger with a spoon?), where the duo creates their take on the theme. Morné’s pot comprised a curry-inspired ostrich dish, while Zola made a fish curry with an Asian twist.

Afterwards, you get to sit down and enjoy the mouth watering fruits of their labour. There’s also an amazing ‘takeaway’ bag with the recipes showcased and, in our case, jars with the spices used in dishes.

Given that September is braai month, the next event is themed Braailicious – The art of cooking with and on fire and will take place on Heritage Day (naturally), Monday, 24 September 2018 from 09h30 to 13h30.

The cost is R675 per person per masterclass, and includes the meal (there’s a lot more thrown in than just the dishes prepared during the masterclass), drinks, the goodie bag and prizes. You can reserve your spot through Nutickets.