Food should appeal as much to the eye as it does to the palate. This statement is the inspiration for Culinary Art, which features four of Cape Town's finest chefs - Malika van Reenen from the Signal Restaurant at the Cape Grace, Harpreet Kaur from the Bombay Brasserie at The Taj, Jason Franco from Camissa at The Table Bay and Scot Kirton from La Colombe at Constantia Uitsig.
Opulent Living had previously featured and highlighted the work of famous SA chefs and their culinary art through photographic medium, which was well received and critically acclaimed.
Explains the magazine's Barbara Lenhart, "The Cape Town Art Fair wanted me to create a culinary art experience with four top chefs from the Mother City. Each day there will be a different chef creating this culinary art experience and the show will display and sell 20 beautiful portraits we took of some of our leading chefs in different contexts. It is all about exposing and highlighting the chefs and their food. Every piece of culinary art will be innovative, attractive and allow the chefs to achieve their own vision. It is wonderful that we can bring them outside the environment of their hotels and expose their work through an art show like this one. Culinary Art will cater for the eye as well as for the palate. Each portrait captures the personality of the person in front of the camera."
Each chef will be creating dishes for purchase on different days during the show. Van Reenen's menu is a starter of tuna, prawn, scallop, passion fruit, avocado and tomato with the vegetarian option comprising aubergine, chickpeas, red pepper, lemon, miso and cream cheese. Another is Springbok served with guava, ginger, cocoa, chilli and lime while dessert is a three-piece coffee treat.
Kaur will be presenting a trio of "Poori" shells - hummus, olive, spiced potato, yoghurt and chutney with spiced lamb; a mille-feuille of peppered and curried prawns as well as Kahlua mousse.
Franco and his team with be preparing rooibos smoked Franschhoek trout served with radish, lettuce, caviar and alfalfa; Karan beef fillet with a bone marrow crust, exotic mushrooms and dauphinoise followed by a blueberry cheesecake with candied lemon.
The cost is R50 per dish with three at R125.
