Meeting Jane in February 2010 and planning the Winelands workshop with her was a wonderful experience:  she was so enthusiastic about her first visit to this part of world and this immediately gave the event a positive energy! 

We laugh now at the story that Jane recounts of our first meeting when I asked her to consider doing a talk in the Winelands. She playfully said she would only come if we could produce a tea with cupcakes of the standard she enjoyed by the Grahamstown Garden Club when she visited them!  According to Jane, I put my hand on my hip and told her in no uncertain terms that we didn’t do cupcakes in the Winelands, we only did wine!!  www.janesdeliciousgarden.com

Simon & Rozanne Barlow of the historic wine farm, Rustenberg outside Stellenbosch, were just as enthusiastic and offered to host the event in their venue, the Chandelier Cellar. They generously offered guests the opportunity to stroll around their magnificent gardens after the workshop.  Of course, I knew that the wine I had promised Jane would be some of the best to be found in Cape Winelands!  Rustenberg Wine Estate is an experience in itself with its architecturally designed tasting centre, their world class wines and of course the magnificent gardens – www.rustenberg.co.za

I felt sure that the catering for this event would surpass that of the Grahamastown Garden Club once I had appointed Sunelle Kotze & Anneke Mynhardt of Sunelle Events. In another league with their catering and styling, they  didn’t disappoint with their magical, theatrical table setting under the shady old oak trees in the Werf. 

Other tantalising, mouth-watering delicacies included Peach and Champagne jellies, chocolate ‘’foolproof crowd-pleasers” (chocolate brownies to die for!), mint & strawberry macaroons, pink & white coconut ice hearts, aubergine, salmon, cream cheese and capsicum rolls, chicken, leek and fresh herb triangles, Italian apertivi’s. Popcorn in trendy cupcake holders and evening handbags certainly provided the WOW factor on this food table!  Large antique champagne coolers were used to keep the individual bottles of cranberry and hibiscus + lemon and elderflower cordials cool. www.sunelle.co.za

Everything about this day just worked in perfect synergy and harmony:  the warm summer weather; the historic Cape wine farm with its old whitewashed buildings shaded by ancient oaks in die Werf; the magnificent spring gardens; the happy, enthusiastic crowd and the sublime food and wine.  Of course, the cherry on the top was Jane!  Prizes and goody bags bulging with quality samples and information, were generously sponsored by various garden related companies such as Starke Ayres of Mowbray, Cape Town, Talborne Organics, Biogrow,SA Garden magazines, Shannon Draper from the Gravel Garden with her heritage seeds.

Jane certainly knows her subject well and shares it confidently and passionately with her audience – they were fascinated by her out-of-the-box ideas, as well as her tried and tested gardening tips and methods!  Her relaxed style, her warmth and her down-to-earth personality (excuse the pun) made her an engaging speaker.  She is certainly one of the most popular lifestyle authors in South Africa today and it was a real privilege to host this workshop with her in the Winelands!  We thank her for sharing Jane’s Wonderful Garden Jungle philosophy with us and for spawning  a whole new generation of veggie gardeners! And, Jane … you are definitely not a toad - I just love the word spawn in this particular context!

For more photographs and comments from people who attended Jane’s workshop, see blog entry below.  SJW

Wow … what positive feedback from the fabulous crowd of people who attended this Winelands workshop!  I would like to say a big thank you for your lovely comments - I appreciate them!  Sandy x

What a wonderful morning you put on for those of us lucky enough to have secured a seat at today’s event.  It was an absolute treat from start to finish and you deserve full marks!  PS: Your biscotti are the best I’ve ever eaten - crammed full of all the nicest treats!  Des Harding

 Thank you so much Sandy for a brilliant day. Your organization skills are excellent.  Lize Francis

Just to say  huge congratulations and thanks for a delightful morning at Rustenburg!  As always your attention to detail made it appeal to all our senses and I think you can take a deep bow.  I am sure Jane must have been bowled over with the whole event and the enthusiasm of her audience.  As for the food - a visual extravaganza and the best baked cheesecake I have ever tasted!!  Bridget Ackermann

Thank you for a wonderful morning. J Thank YOU! It was an amazing morning, couldn’t find fault! From the food to the venue to the amazing Jungle Jane! I have already made my first 2 tripods from her book and planted my tomatoes. Goes to show what a difference attending a morning like that can do , not only for ones knowledge but also for ones spirit.  Zunia Boucher-Myers

I loved the workshop! I found Jane to be knowledgeable, inspiring and very easy on the ear. 

Bridgett Fuller

Many thanks for putting together such a wonderful morning. The combination of speaker, venue and caterer could not have been more superb.  Sandy Ribbans

Top marks on an excellent event – I so enjoyed it!  Laura Krause

What a triumph!!!! You pulled off a winner dear and we so enjoyed this.  Lou Howell

Thank you for a most enjoyable day - and most interesting!  Jane Sharples

Well done on your wonderful morning on Saturday!  It was a great success! How lucky have you been with the weather!  Sunelle & Anneke (Caterers)

I so enjoyed the talk by Jane on Saturday it was a wonderful morning and the food was delicious and so beautifully presented.  Jenny Findlay

Thanks so much - this was such a great event.  Well done!  Brett Webster

I thought the workshop was wonderfully practical and personal.  Jane made you feel it was all possible for the average gardener to achieve. As I had read the book and have gardened organically for years it was familiar but still taught me a lot.. For example I came across a huge caterpillar on Saturday and I was about to flick it off and stand on it I thought of all the hard working worm eating mother birds in my garden and happily left it alone. There is a fiscal flycatcher with a nest on the pergola and she must bring a worm every half hour to feed her chicks. Have so many more birds this year.  Thanks again for this worthwhile event- plus the catering and venue were amazing. Well done!  Jane Orpen

Thank you for an AMAZINGLY DIVINE EVENT last Saturday, I so enjoyed every moment!  Terry Taljaard

I was totally inspired by the talk. I will be putting this all into practice when I go live on the farm.  I enjoyed the fact that Jane was not an expert e.g. had no formal studies in that field and learnt as she went along.  I loved the warmth and energy of the day.  I thought that it was great to have an hour and then tea and then continue.  I couldn’t wait to get back to hear the rest. The goody bag was great.  The tea amazing!  The venue was perfect.  I have already made quite a few recipes from her kitchen book.  Debbie Cass

It was a wonderful morning.  Ideal  setting. Jane spoke so well! As a regular public speaker, I know what not to do to be a boring speaker. Jane had us riveted. She also uses the most vital of all speaking tools – humour. I WAS a little concerned when she said how long she’d be talking but, the acid test of how amazing she was , was that each session felt like 10 minutes!!    Well done Sandy for identifying and bringing such an interesting speaker and for organising yet another event of the calibre that Energize Events has rapidly become known for. Please keep me on your mailing list.  Jill Richie

After our wonderful day on Saturday, I shot off to Stark Ayres and spent R498 on veggies, seeds and soil….. You did a GREAT job honey, I loved it!  Liz Calvert

Thank you for a superbly organised day, yet again! After the stunning morning at Rustenberg, I felt inspired and on a natural “organic” high!   As I headed home I was just itching to first get stuck into my garden and then into my kitchen to try out the recipe’s in her beautiful new recipe book!  I have already ordered a whole lot of “black gold” for my garden! I’m so pleased I don’t have to dig it in, now that I’ve learnt so much more about soil preparation from Jane’s talk!  Else de Jong

Jane’s passion and enthusiasm for gardening has inspired and motivated me. She is a brillant speaker with an amazing knowledge of gardening. Her tips for organic and pesticide free gardening are fantastic.   Thanks again for organising such a wonderful event Sandy.  Kim Wilson

I thoroughly enjoyed the Winelands Workshop event with Jane Griffiths. It was very well organised and interesting. Jane is a great speaker and lovely to listen too, she has a good voice and a wonderful sense of humour. Thank you for organising such a wonderful event, I look forward to the cooking one!!!  Sue Harvie

I just LOVED everything about that workshop! It was a very special morning. I found that I was totally and utterly absorbed for the entire talk. Jane speaks with great ease. Her passion is so evident yet I never for one moment felt it being forced on us - know what I mean? Heidi Sendin

Thank you for bringing Jane to the Western Cape. The huge turnout confirmed her reputation and we certainly were well rewarded. Her easy going manner and her down to earth, sensible advice had us all rivetted and more determined than ever to get out and get planting more veges in our gardens. Carol Downes

Thank you for the wonderful day at Rustenburg with Jane Griffiths. It was such a fun day and everything you had organised was so delightful that it really lifted the event above the norm.  Jane Seed

Jane, thank you for a truly inspirational talk.  After experimenting in my veggie garden over the past 2 years, with limited success, a few adjustments were in order.  Now, more stepping stones are in place, my beds are planted, mulched, fed, fertilised (organically), watered and growing miraculously, vertically and horizontally jungle style!  As my 3 year old daughter, Hanna, would say, “Easy peasy lemon squeasy!”  Janet Keet

Jane Griffiths, author of the popular book

 JANE’S DELICIOUS GARDEN,

 will hold a workshop

SATURDAY, 9TH OCTOBER 2010 from 9h00 to 12h00

RUSTENBERG WINE ESTATE, STELLENBOSCH

A writer, television producer, artist and traveller, Jane has been growing vegetables and herbs organically for over a decade in her Johannesburg garden.  With her passion and unique insights into the fascinating world of preparing, planting and growing vegetables in any space, this workshop will inspire and motivate everyone:  from the Novice to the Gardening Guru.

COST

R350.00pp

(includes workshop, all refreshments, goodie bag & a glass of Rustenberg wine)

BOOKINGS

info@energizeevents.co.za

Sandy Webster – 083 293 5766

Since publishing her first book on organic vegetable & herb gardening in 2009, Jane has virtually become a household name in South Africa.  She planted her first chilli seeds, brought back from LA in 1994, in her tiny garden in Auckland Park, Johannesburg and in her own words, started a passion that has never abated!  Jane has no problem igniting this same passion in people who attend her workshops:  with her inspiration, insights and passion, she has spawned a whole new generation of backyard organic vegetable gardeners in South Africa.  She has travelled far and wide but she says her best journey is still the path she travels from her own vegetable garden to her kitchen!

RUSTENBERG – CAPTURES THE PURE ESSENCE OF OLD CAPE CHARM

Rustenberg, the setting for Jane’s Delicious Winelands Workshop, is owned by the Barlow family.  Lying in the shadow of the Simonsberg, surrounded by vineyards, old oak trees and magnificent gardens, Rustenberg captures the pure essence of old Cape charm.  This historical estate dating back to 1682, produces award-winning wines and has one of the most unique, architecturally-designed wine tasting centres in the Western Cape. The workshop will take place in the Chadelier Hall, a thatched bottling cellar. Those attending the workshop will be welcome to stroll around the private gardens, which include a labyrinth, based on the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth near Paris, a large Koi pond with water lilies and they will be able to experience these beautiful gardens in the first full flush of spring. Rustenberg wines can be purchased from the wine tasting centre which closes at 13h30.

The Easy Entertainment cookery courses were the last in the first series of wine and food courses offered by popular Winelands cook extraordinaire, Kippie van der Spuy and wine fundi, Jenny Findlay.  Energize Events marketed the courses and Sandy helped out as the chef’s assistant for each class – what an awesome experience!  Tips and ideas given freely and generously by Kippie were invaluable.

We really have had so much fun conceptualising these Winelands courses – Kippie put plenty of research into the winter Easy Entertainment menu and with her vast library of cookbooks, magazines and wealth of experience, she came up with a very stylish, do-ahead menu.  Jenny had just as much fun working out which wines to pair with the various courses.  Her husband Ian told me he had even more fun as he was the guinea pig when it came to tasting!

At the start of each EE course, Kippie informed participants quite clearly:   there is no such thing as Easy Entertainment!  She felt if one really wanted Easy Entertainment, then it would be a matter of popping out to the local take-away or convenience store and buying something ready-made.  With that out of the way, everyone proceeded to sit back as Kippie explained to students what she perceived as Easy Entertainment.  She had devised a menu where most of the preparation could be done ahead, leaving the hostess relaxed and free and easy to entertain.

Following on the new trend towards a smoked haddock/cauliflower combo, the starter comprised of a Flatbread with a caramelised onion topping and a Leek & Cauliflower soup with a Smoked Haddock galette.  The bread with the caramelised topping could be baked ahead, the soup and galettes prepared hours ahead of the dinner. The main course of Apple Cider Braised Pork Neck with fennel, Ragout of lentils with confetti vegetables and Greens with sage butter were also all recipes that could be prepared ahead thanks to Kippie’s ingenious way of preparing and presenting them!

Dessert, at a first glance, appeared complicated and is one that is usually shunned by most people who are intimidated by soufflés. Surprisingly, it could not have been easier thanks to a tried and test recipe that Kippie uses often when she entertains:  twice baked blue cheese soufflés with quinces. The quinces which were stewed ahead were the most beautiful coral pink/apricot colour - the flavours of the sweet quince with the blue cheese soufflé is definitely a marriage made in heaven!  For everyone who knows me, that phrase will be the epitaph upon my gravestone one day as I always get extremely excited when flavours work together in perfect harmony!

Friandises served after the meal with coffee rounded off the evening.  Jenny had once again chosen wines of distinction to pair with each course and she carefully explained to participants why she had chosen each particular wine.

Feedback from the courses has been phenomenal!  Everyone has been so positive and we have loved meeting the wide variety of people who supported our endeavours.  Kippie’s vast experience with food, her generosity of spirit with all the extra tips and information plus Jenny’s wealth of knowledge of wines and her finely-tuned wine-tasting palette, all contributed to making these courses the great success that they have been.  Thanks everyone for your support and watch this space for future courses ….

We have had quite a bit of feedback about not making the classes interactive – it appears most people would prefer to relax and watch the demonstration while sipping a glass of wine and then enjoy the food and paired wines afterwards – this is something we will take cognisance of when we plan ahead.

We recently organised two very successful talks by Dr Philip Sherwin, a Homeopath, Naturopath and Mineral Therapist from Sea Point, Cape Town.  With almost 40 years of experience not only does Dr Sherwin promote and practice the pH Miracle, an alternative alkaline diet but he is living proof of his statement: “Health is the result of natural living.” At 71 years of age he is fit, healthy and doesn’t look as though he has left his 50s behind!

According to Dr Sherwin, “When people live in harmony with their physiological needs, health is the inevitable result. By supplying the organism, our bodies, with its basic requirements - natural, unadulterated food; sunshine; clean, fresh air; pure water; appropriate physical, mental and emotional activities; and a productive lifestyle - while simultaneously eliminating all harmful factors and influences, the self-constructing, self-regulating, self-repairing qualities of the body are given full rein.”

The talk covered all the above requirements in depth and Dr Sherwin highlighted the importance of living healthily by attaining the correct pH levels in the body; in our Western Society today we eat far too many acid-forming foods which cause our bodies to become acidic, thereby attracting a variety of illnesses and disease.

Using the acronym for A WOMEN, Dr Sherwin elaborated as follows:

A -  Attitude

W – Water:  the importance of adequate hydration

O – Oxygen: how to breathe correctly and the benefits of correct breathing

M – Minerals: use of supplementation in the diet

A -  Alkaline pH:  how to attain the correct alkaline pH and reduce acidity in the body

N – Nutrition and what foods to eat to correct the pH balance of the body for optimum health

Both talks were very popular!  The first talk was held at Squares Restaurant at Chelsea House in mid-April 2010  and in fact we organised the second talk in response to the long waiting list for the first talk.  Not wanting to disappoint anyone, we organised the second talk in the Conservatory at Erinvale Golf Club in mid-May 2010.  We have had a lot of positive feedback and more talks are planned for the future with Dr Sherwin.

Kippie, Jenny & Sandy hosted a morning and an evening Mediterranean cookery course this week at De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate.  What better way to spend a typical wintery Cape day, with rain lashing down outside than cooking up a storm in a cosy setting with many warm-hearted people?

The menu was unashamedly Mediterranean!  For starters:  a Nicoise Olive Tart made from a Roger Verge recipe which Kippie learnt when she did a cookery course with him.  Jenny paired this slightly salty olive tart on a creamy spinach base with a medium-dry sherry.  Probably the best part of the menu (for me anyway) followed with Fish en Papillote – Mediterranean-marinaded white fish in paper parcels baked with sundried tomatoes and coriander.  What an amazing combination and it brought back many happy memories of sitting at a beach restaurant outside Cannes many years ago!  Participants were each served an individual parcel and ate their fish straight from the parcel – Jenny paired this course with a Uva Mira Sauvignon Blanc.

The main course:  Lamb tangine with exotic flavours of honey, cinnamon, saffron, prunes permeating through the tender soft pieces of lamb – this was served with a roasted butternut, sultana & preserved lemon couscous.  Kippie showed everyone how to make preserved lemons for use in a variety of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine.   Guardian Peak SMG was the wine of choice for this delicious main course.

 Feedback from the participants of these cookery courses is the extra value given in terms of the many tips and techniques that Kippie shares so generously with everyone who attends.  This goes equally for the generous wine information Jenny shares when pairing each carefully chosen wine with each course.

Pear Tarte Tatin served with a ginger mascarpone cream ended the four course meal and this was served this with a Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling.  Kippie encouraged everyone to try their hand at making cream quenelles for their pear tart and showed them how to make a caramel pattern using a small bottle and also how to make a caramel ‘cage’  for individual pear tarte tatin.

What a wonderful group of participants we had on each course – everyone left happy and replete with many repeat bookings for future classes!

I recently had the pleasure and privilege of sharing a whole morning with Jane Griffiths, author of the best-selling book on growing organic vegetables and herbs, Jane’s Delicious Garden.

The pleasure was soaking up every single word uttered by Jane as she took us down the beautiful pathways of her organic vegetable garden at a workshop/talk held in Cape Town. Even though her own veggie patch (it is exactly that at 50 square metres to be precise) was hundreds of kilometres away in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, Jane transported us to the wonderful world of her delicious garden aka, Jane’s Jungle Style Garden!

The privilege of spending time with Jane was learning a whole new way of growing organic vegetables in your own backyard! A creative spirit, with out of the box ideas, Jane is fast becoming responsible for birthing a whole new generation of organic veggie gardeners in South Africa. She has done this by removing the fear of growing your own organic produce and for every problem in the garden, she has a creative solution and I was left thinking why didn’t I think of that?

Jane encourages mixed plantings in the beds with herbs, vegetable, strong-scented flowers all living and growing happily together. From Jane’s observations this often confuses the bugs that are programmed to look out for certain shapes in a variety of vegetables. Imagine the soft tendril of a nasturtium leaf sheltering a young, vunerable cabbage - as it develops its shape, the cabbage moth, its greatest pest in its early development, becomes totally confused when flying overhead as the cabbage safely nestles behind the big, round leaf of its guardian!

Interestingly, Jane developed her passion for organic vegetable gardening after she brought back a variety of chilli seeds from LA in 1994. She removed a tiny patch of lawn, dug in some compost, spread the seeds and sat back to watch her chillies grow – and grow they did in more ways than she could ever have envisaged! She says ‘it is a passion which has never abated!’ Not only has her vegetable patch flourished but her passion has spawned a whole new career for this TV producer: as a writer, a popular speaker at various events around South Africa and later this year,  as a cookery book writer as she publishes her first recipe book with ideas from her own organic produce!

Energize Events has organised for Jane to come and give a workshop in the Winelands at the start of summer on Saturday, 9th October 2010 from 9h00 to 12h00 at Rustenberg Wine Estate, Stellenbosch.  Jane is so excited to be presenting her first workshop in the Cape Winelands and this has already created a magical energy around this event with demand for places building …

Jane will chat about how to prepare your soil, sow seeds, what to plant with your seedlings to make them grow into healthy, edible plants and she will delight and thrill you with all her hard-earned knowledge she has gained at root level! She has stated she has travelled to many places in the world but her most rewarding and exciting trip is from her veggie garden to her kitchen! So passionate is she, when she sometimes returns from a TV shoot in the early hours of the morning, the first thing she does is don a head lamp and go out to inspect what treasures her garden has yielded in her absence!

From my own experience, I started work on my organic vegetable garden in October 2009: I can safely state for the record that: Beware it becomes an addiction! Not only is it absolutely absorbing but it is absolutely rewarding! To grow and eat your own produce brings to mind the quote in the early pages of Jane’s book:

‘To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.’ Mahatma Gandhi

 Sandy x

This course was held on Thursday 15^th April 2010 in Kippie’s home on the De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate between Somerset West & Stellenbosch. As they arrived, just in time to watch the sunset over the surrounding vineyards & moutains, Jenny handed each participant a glass of De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc  to welcome them.

The course commenced after Kippie had given an overview of the evening.  Students took up their stations in front of the individual, custom-made chopping boards and immediately set to work by deboning a chicken thigh/drumstick portion for the Teriyaki chicken.  Following this rather challenging start, they were shown how to prepare the Indonesian Laksa soup with chicken dumplings - while the soup  simmered in the background, Kippie demonstrated how to make sushi rice for the maki-zushi.  Each student was supplied with a sushi mat and after a short explanation about fresh tuna, they set to work rolling their own California rolls, making use of avocado pear, spring onion, cucumber and tuna fillings:  the results were fabulous as we were to learn when we got to eat the sushi later!

The mango/macadamia & ginger ice cream demonstration followed (we had made a batch the day before so that students could eat the ice cream for dessert that same evening) and thereafter the students were shown how to make the Teriyaki sauce.  With her wide knowledge of all things culinary and the amazing experiences of her frequent travels to Japan, Kippie had a rapt audience as she regaled the group with many interesting stories, facts and tips around Oriental cooking.  She generously shared so much with this very appreciative group of people.

Finally, the students each learnt how to roll a springroll as they made a mango springrolls which were served with the ice cream for dessert.  Sandy & Jenny assisted students where necessary with deboning, rolling of sushi and springrolls.

As the students sat down at the simply but stylishly set Japanese table to enjoy the fruits of their labour, Jenny gave them a explanation about each wine she had been chosen to complement the individual courses – not the easiest of tasks as usually sake is the drink of choice in Japan.  Happy sounds emanating from the dining room was a good reflection of what a success the evening had been for everyone!

Judging by the feedback received, everyone gave rave reviews and many have booked to come again - they felt they not only learnt a great deal about food and wine but that the venue and warmth of everyone involved made it an extraordinarily experience!

Kippie van der Spuy, Jenny Findlay and Sandy Webster have teamed up to offer Food and Wine pairing courses in the heart of the Cape Winelands, commencing on the 15^th April 2010 with a Japanese cookery course, followed by a Mediterranean cookery course on the 6^th May 2010.  Easy Entertaining will take place on the 27^th May 2010.

Each of these talented ladies will share their experience and passion for food and wine during these interactive cookery demonstrations.  Twelve participants will gain hands-on experience and learn a variety of cooking & preparation techniques.   A wine tasting will be conducted to complement the menu and this will include wine etiquette and many tips and extra information.  A five course meal will conclude the course.

Morning and evening classes will ensure that anyone with a love and interest in food and wine will be able to attend.  All levels of cooking experience are welcome in Kippie’s contemporary kitchen will be the venue for these unique culinary experiences.

To book, please click on the booking link on the newsletter below each course.  Bank details will be sent to you and once payment is received, your booking will be confirmed and a detailed map of the venue will be provided.

For more information on Kippie, Jenny & Sandy – read below:

Kippie van der Spuy

A talented chef with a legal background, Kippie van der Spuy lives in the heart of the Cape Winelands on the De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate, situated between Somerset West and Stellenbosch. 

With her enquiring mind, Kippie makes it her business to study the foods she loves and prepares.  She has taught many students since 1995 with her cookery demonstrations in Stellenbosch, she has lead overseas culinary tours and has travelled extensively, tasting and learning about foods for the past 30 years.  She has also taught culinary French to students studying at the ICA at Spier.

Her passion and integrity around food make her culinary courses highly sought-after, with her recipes becoming treasured items. 

 Jenny Findlay

Jenny Findlay is a passionate foodie with a strong interest in wine.  She has done the Intermediate Course at the Cape Wine Academy as well as the Certificate Course.  Over the years her interest in wine developed into a specific interest:  Food and Wine pairing.  This led Jenny to do the Introductory Sommelier Course with the Court of Master Sommeliers in London in 2009.

She has travelled to Burgundy, The Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Champagne, California and Argentina tasting the wines and experiencing the different wine-making techniques of these countries.

With Jenny’s gifted palate and knowledge of wine she will inspire and educate everyone who attends these food and wine pairing courses.

 Sandy Webster

With her experience of organising events, functions and catering, Sandy Webster runs  an events company, Energize Events, which specialises in food, health and lifestyle events in the Cape Winelands.

Creative cooking and food styling are Sandy’s special interests and she has attended many cookery courses over the past 20 years. 

Energy and enthusiasm are her trademark and she loves nothing better than bringing people together around a table with good food and wine and creating lasting memories!

We organised a fabulous celebration for a professional man with many talents and hobbies:  a cycling fanatic, a lover of nature and a wine lover of note were just a few that we took cognisance of when we were discussing ideas for the celebration; a theme of Fynbos and Wine seemed like a very appropriate theme!  The  celebration in honour of a milestone birthday was to be fairly intimate with 40 guests and the emphasis was on close family and  good  friends.  Casually sophisticated was what we had in mind but our desire was to also capture the pure essence of the Cape in mid-summer just before harvest time in the vineyards.  Dinner, in a winery restaurant in the heart of the Stellenbosch wine district was decided upon because of its beautiful setting and contemporary architecture:  the venue embraces the surrounding landscape of mountains and vineyards with its slide away glass doors and its unique position halfway up a mountain.  Guests arrived in the early evening and were handed a glass of chilled pale pink rosé wine to complement the rosy hues of the surrounding mountains at sunset.

Flower arrangements in wooden magnum wine boxes from various wineries graced each table and included a wine glass with a large protea in a deep pink/red colour.  Menus with a silhouette of a wine bottle were placed on each table together with deep red votive candleholders which added a warm glow to the evening.   A single king protea in a large wine glass case on a silver tray graced the gift table.  Food, exquisitely prepared by the executive chef included a choice of starters:  smoked salmon & caviar salad with rocket, fresh asapargus  & avocado puree or pear & gorgonzola spring rolls with a red wine reduction.  The choice of main course was fresh linefish with crushed potatoes & a lemon beurre blanc sauce or grilled marinated beef rump with roasted root vegetables and a green peppercorn jus. Desserts included malva pudding (the client’s favourite dessert) with apricot mousse & brandy ice cream or ginger & cardamom crème bruleé with nut biscotti. Energize provided handmade truffles decorated with gold designs to accompany the coffee.  What a wonderfully, warm-hearted evening with the guest of honour being cherished by close family and friends:  it was a memorable evening with all the right elements in place to make it such a success.  It was a privilege for Energize Events to be involved in such a stylish and elegant event!

For more photographs look under EVENTS on the Energize website.