On 13 September 2021 we welcomed 52 Silwood chef-in-training students to our Farm2Fork Exchange. A day curated to inspire, educate and connect the "Next-Gen-Chef" to the local producers of the West Coast and Swartland region, Cape Town, South Africa.
Among other things, the students got to meet Nikki van Coller, of Meta-Media, who wrote about the day for the Grond tot Mond publication.
(Read more here...)
The objective of the day is to create awareness for the necessity of regenerative, sustainable and humane farming practices in various producing industries, and what our role is, as the consumer, in the whole process. It also teaches the students how our way of life is contributing to the wellness or deterioration of our beautiful environment and in turn, our planet as a whole.
Support local. Eat good, nutrient rich food. Thrive!
Featuring:
Mokgadi Itsweng (food activist, private chef, writer)
Bee's Choice Honey (Western Cape Beekeeping Association)
and of course... Hoekkraaltjie
Photo Credit: Rethea Boer_Rethea Photography
Khwa ttu
San Heritage Centre
The day started at Khwa Ttu San Heritage Centre, with a foraging experience.
They learned about the indigenous SAN people and their culture, the medicinal and culinary uses of various plants growing in the area and got to enjoy a Wild tea Tasting.
"We learned about foraging and the utilization of foraged foods in a fine dining menu." - Emma Goodenough
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
khwattu.org | +27 (0)22 492 2998
Bee's Choice Honey
Nick Hitge
Nick Hitge is Committee Member with the Western Cape Beekeepers Association that is responsible for Honey and Forage.
Students learned about beekeeping basics and got to taste 6 different honeys, all locally and completely organically produced.
(Apple, Lucerne, Wild Flower, Eucalyptus, Karoo Fynbos & Avocado)
"I learnt so much about sustainability and interesting facts of bees ." - Nicholas de Boer
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
wcba.co.za | +27 (0)82 463 3296
Darling Gourmet Mushrooms
Koti van Tonder is a local female farmer based just outside Moorreesburg toward Darling.
She gave an overview of basics to luxury mushroom farming, and students enjoyed some of Koti's deliscious mushrooms to taste.
"Loved learning about how you can become self sufficient with the production of food. Being able to go straight from farm to fork. Also learning about wastage and how to reduce it.." - Tayla Smith
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
Hoekkraaltjie Farm
The Meat & The Eggs
Hoekkraaltjie Farmer, Johan Burden kicked off with a presentation on farming the perfect quail, followed by a raffle drawing allowing 8 students to partake in either deboning or peeling an egg for a prize! Such a great opportunity to be able to teach students what we do.
"I also throughly enjoyed learning about the wines and how all communities are connected and rely on each other. Supporting your communities are so important." - Tayla Selman
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
hoekkraaltjie.co.za | +27 (0)83 571 7959
Hoekkraaltjie Farm
The Eat
Students got to enjoy everything yummy from our very own Hoekkraaltjie Farm Pantry, including other delights from local chefs, such as Mokgadi Itsweng, and other local producers.
From Nando's Peri Peri-inspired Quail livers to Goat Milk "Melktert", and preserved gauvas...
"Thank you so much for such a lovely outing and providing such delicious food for us." - Tayla Selman
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
hoekkraaltjie.co.za | +27 (0)84 627 3458
Groote Post
Wine Estate
What a way to end a day?
Wimpie Borman, Groote Post Wine Estate, made sure every student left with a song at heart and a smile on their face. A delicious tasting, prize give away and a talk about the basics to sustainable wine farming surely hit the mark!
"To be surrounded by such passionate people like Tracey and Janine was amazing, they treated us to such good food and the overall experience was amazing! ." - Demetra Selman
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
grootepost.co.za | +27 (0)22 492 2825
Chef Mokgadi Itsweng
Mokgadi Itsweng dialed in via Zoom for the day.
She spoke about the importance of eating more plant-based meals, why it is essential to support our local community and farmers and how we can make better food / ingredient choices as consumers and the "Next-Gen-Chef".
"Loved learning about how you can become self sufficient with the production of food. Being able to go straight from farm to fork. Also learning about wastage and how to reduce it." - Tayla Smith
(Chef-in-Training at Silwood)
The Chef's Manifesto
We played the Chef's Manifesto introductory video to the Silwood Students,
with the objective to inspire our "Next-Gen-Chefs" to join the movement with us, and farm, eat and live for global change.
GOOD FOOD FOR ALL.