GET MERRY WITH CHEF MYNHARDT

Posted by Wilandre Johnson on 28 November 2019 2:30 AM CAT

The festive season is one of celebrity chef Mynhardt Joubert’s favourite times and he is celebrating it in fabulous style this year.  Make sure you book a seat at one of his fantastic festive tables staged at incredible venues or order his delectable fruitcakes to get into the festive spirit.

Chef Mynhardt’s heavenly fruitcake to warm hearts this festive season

For the fourth year, Chef Mynhardt Joubert will again set the stage for a sweet soirée with his iconic Free State fruitcakes. All for a very special cause and just in time for the festive season.

In aid of Monte Christo Miqlat (MCM), a non-profit company (NPC) situated in the Western Cape’s Paarl, Chef Mynhardt will partner with MOIR’S, SASKO, KWV Brandy and Président Salted Butter in creating his beloved fruitcakes that fans have come to love.

“The organisation we are supporting this year, MCM, is doing incredible work. Our goal is to annually reach new communities with new needs,” says Chef Mynhardt.

Since 2002, MCM has been empowering impoverished families through holistic sustainable development programmes. In 2018, the charity distributed more than one million meals in the Drakenstein Valley alone. Aside from nutrition, MCM also provides sport programmes for young and old, a community care centre, after-school daycare, and facilitates care for the homeless.

Growing up in the Eastern Free State, Chef Mynhardt’s mother and grandmother played an integral part in his love for creative and inspiring cooking. The magic behind his annual Free State fruitcake recipe is no different and is bound to tickle taste buds all over South Africa this festive season.

“Christmas in South Africa is synonymous with cutting a fruitcake and sharing the sweet treat with loved ones. A few years ago, my sister sent me the most stunning fruitcake all the way from Bethlehem, and this fruitcake still resembles family to me. I believe we all have particular smells stored in our memories from the kitchens of our youth, and these have the ability to provide immense comfort. I found this again this year, a year with its fair amount of challenges!

“While baking these cakes, the familiar smell permeated my home and I was transported back to the home of my youth and to my family’s love and support. In a small way this comfort will now be paid forward with proceeds from cake sales going towards MCM. And perhaps there is some extra comfort to be found in the fact that these cakes are really baked with so much love and reverence for the family unit – whether we have it by blood or choice, and this is really what the festive season is about,” adds Chef Mynhardt.

With these cakes layered with so much genuine love, it’s no wonder that Chef Mynhardt’s love for the sweet delicacy has become somewhat of a tradition around festive tables.

Says Chef Mynhardt: “Our secret to a fruitcake with a difference? We bake with love, constantly keeping in mind the deserving people who will benefit from each and every cake sale. It’s an absolute highlight and the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year passed. A recipe only becomes something truly special when you pour your heart and soul into it.”

Only a limited amount of Chef Mynhardt’s festive fruitcakes are baked each year and are sold for R350 per cake. Secure yours by placing an order online or send an email to cake@mynhardt.co.za.

Book your seat for Chef Mynhardt Joubert’s exclusive Festive Tables 2019

Ask Chef Mynhardt Joubert, one of South Africa’s most beloved chefs, about his favourite time of year, and he will tell you without pause that it is the festive season. From October onwards this chef’s kitchens – one situated in the beautiful Cathedral Cellar in Paarl, and the other in his Monet-like kitchen attic at his home in Stasie Street – become a hive of activity as festive preparations take shape. From the baking of Mynhardt’s famous festive fruit cakes to testing the menus for his festive tables, the smells emitted from these kitchens set the tone for exceptional dining experiences.

If the words exclusivity, memorable and generosity resonate with you, then booking a seat at Chef Mynhardt’s Festive Tables 2019 should be a top consideration.

This year, Chef Mynhardt hosts two long table events: On 18, 19, 20 and 21 December guests are invited to dine in the food magician’s very own Paarl kitchen, Stasie Street Kitchen, for a rare glimpse into Chef Mynhardt’s personal milieu where meals are inspired by his childhood memories and travels around the world. The second instalment of 2019’s Festive Tables takes place at Chef Mynhardt’s second home, KWV’s iconic and sought-after Cathedral Cellar Kitchen in Paarl, on 24 and 25 December. Here, 80 guests per sitting will indulge in Chef Mynhardt’s bespoke food creations while admiring some of the biggest hand-carved wine vats in the world.

Bookings for Chef’s Mynhardt’s popular Festive Tables are now open. Send an email to bookings@mynhardt.co.za or contact Frikkie at +27 78 800 5155. See below for more information on prices and menu details.

Stasie Street Kitchen Festive Tables

Capacity: Limited to 30 guests per sitting

Dates: 18, 19, 20, 21 December

Time: 19:00

Cost: R699 per person

Includes: G&T; bubbly and sherry on arrival; four-course festive menu; selection of red and white wine, cold drinks, and sparkling and still water

Cathedral Cellar Kitchen Festive Tables

Capacity: Limited to 80 guests per sitting

Dates: 24, 25 December

Time: 19:00 (24 Dec), 12:00 (25 Dec)

Cost: R699 per person

Includes: G&T; bubbly and sherry on arrival; four-course festive menu; selection of red and white wine, cold drinks, and sparkling and still water