Chocolate mousse cake, prepared by a student at Chez Gourmet.
Chez Gourmet Cookery School, in Claremont, offers classes run by Cordon Bleu Chefs who are trained in classic traditional French style cooking. That’s not to say that their approach is in any way stuffy or boring. Their courses are reflective of what people are interested in. At the moment their most popular courses are fish dishes and how to make the perfect cup cake The classes may be fun, but Chez Gourmet are serious about getting their students to learn the techniques properly and gain confidence in their own ability.
All the staff, bar one, are Silwood trained and owner Jenny Howard admits that she came a bit late to the training end of cooking (she was 41 when she enrolled in Silwood) but she had been grounded for years by her grandmother. She stayed on to teach in Silwood after she finished her formal training, and in 2009 founded Chez Gourmet.
She felt that the market was not being served properly and the gap she identified was that a demand existed for short courses that students could dip into and out of as their schedules permitted.
A derelict Victorian house in Claremont became home for Chez Gourmet, and now it’s an elegant space which comprises kitchens
The library contains all the classics.
demonstration rooms, a library, conference rooms and a kitchen shop where you can buy everything from pasta makers,kitchen gadgets, and table settings.
Courses this month include Teens in the Kitchen, Interesting Grains and Pulses, High Tea, Trends, Marvellous Muffins, Sushi and Perfect Cupcakes. And that’s just for April.
Jenny is passionate about food and cooking and is very generous in sharing her passion and knowledge. She is against students watching demonstrations and believes it is vital for them to get stuck in and cook for themselves as much as possible.
Classes are great value for money (they start at R250) because Jenny wants to encourage people to come and do short courses, often.
I sat in her library and looked at her great collection of cookbooks. I licked my lips.
Chez Gourmet logo.
Jenny knows her stuff. She gave me the inside tip on where to get fresh horseradish, a great recipe for amazing spiced potatoes (and I’ll post this soon) and where I might find celeriac in Cape Town.
As soon as I get my diary organised I am signing up for some classes.
Chez Gourmet Cooking School. 36 Palmyra Road, Claremont. 021 671 2080.
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Hi, I would like to bring a few(10) of my girlfriends to a morning high tea. What do you have available.
Ethelene
Hi Ethelene,
We are the website – Chez Gourmet are the school, and need to be contacted directly.