The Kitchen Collective opens its doors with a fabulous launch event for Bio XXI

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TAKING the Ginger & Lime interactive cooking concept to the next level, The Kitchen Collective opened last week at its smart new premises in Bo-Kaap with an event for Bio XXI, an organic, gluten-free range of quinoa based food products, created by Coronilla in Bolivia’s Andes, now available in South Africa.

Denise Cowburn-Levy

I’ve attended many events at Ginger & Lime, Salt & Sage and one very memorable weekend in Yzerfontein; this was my first time at a corporate function. Like the evenings hosted in Fresnaye and Bantry Bay, the format was similar. Guests arrived, there was wine, speeches were made, a chef demonstrated, and food was cooked. Afterwards, everyone sat down at a long table and enjoyed the fruits of their labours.

With a start time of 10.30am, I admit to having some concerns that the wine part would be missing, but I needn’t have worried. The table at the entrance was set up with plenty of Reynecke organic wines – day drinking FTW. It’s not entirely clear why this is sometimes frowned upon, especially on a Friday in Cape Town, where we stop work on a Thursday. It can make stopping at the shops for groceries on the way home either more interesting or utterly horrendous but that’s a chance you have to take. At least you can still be in bed with your book and a nice cup of tea at a respectable hour.

The brand being celebrated was the huge range of Bio XXI products, which Peruvian chef Francesco Delfina demonstrated before everyone was set up at a cooking station to try them out for themselves. Choosing a gluten-free lifestyle needn’t mean sacrificing variety and flavour. Bio XXI makes pastas, cereals, snacks, premixes for cookies, muffins and pancakes, and easy-to-make meals like nuggets and risotto. The bread mix is ridiculously good, and the pancakes are too – whether you make them “normal” size or use a squeeze bottle for teeny tiny ones that can be enjoyed with sweet or savoury toppings.

Personally, I don’t mind gluten in my food and opt for low carb (which more often than not IS gluten-free anyway). To accommodate this, Francesco made me a plate of meatballs with onions and red pepper, which was jolly nice of him. I did taste some of the dishes and was suitably impressed. The products are available from The Kitchen Collective. Click here for more information.

PHOTO CREDIT: BIANCA COLEMAN ©

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