THE SUMMER GOOD FOOD AND WINE SHOW

Catch Jackie Cameron at The Summer Good Food & Wine Show

The Summer Good Food & Wine Show kicks off at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg on Thursday 29 October until Sunday 1 November and Hartford’s very own Jackie Cameron will be there to share a few culinary tricks which are sure to tantalise and titillate.

There’s something so wonderful and warming about the company of food and foodies on a journey of discovery. No matter whether you’re passionate about organic produce, long to watch the hottest chefs on the planet turn ingredients into edible heaven, or yearn to pop your cork at the wines and wherefores of the grapevine... the Summer Good Food & Wine Show is the place to be.

So what’s different about The Summer Good Food & Wine Show? Easy. It’s entirely interactive. This is no "Sit Down And Soak It Up" show, it’s a "Roll Up Your Sleeves And Get Involved" relationship. You’re going to meet the makers of the products, grill the chefs on their secrets, and learn how to make any-and-everything you’ve always wanted to... from pasta to cocktails to gourmet dinner party dishes.

Be sure not to miss out… you’ll be watching magic, tasting heaven, and learning from the masters of food, wine, gourmet travel and lifestyle.

Jackie Cameron’s Show times for The Summer Good Food & Wine Show are as follows :

FRIDAY 30 October 2009

BBC Theatre 10h30 to 12h00 (Garden to Kitchen)
Chefs In Action Theatre 13h30 - 14h00 (One Duck Presented in Two Ways)
Top Ten Theatre 15h30 - 16h15 (Decadent Chocolate Desserts)

  

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The Good Food & Wine Show Website 

Jackie Cameron in Top 10 Young South African Chefs

Jackie Cameron
(Photo : Sally Chance)

"WHEN YOU’RE HOT, YOU’RE HOT"

And it seems the cooking game is the hottest of the lot. Already rated in the National Top Ten chefs (in all categories), Hartford’s Jackie Cameron’s latest accolade sees her included in the Top 10 Young South African Chefs. Though what you have to do to be “young”, is an open question. It’s another tribute to a genuinely young talent who’s made it, not only on the back of a god-given gift, but also courtesy of an energy-sapping work ethic. In a nutshell, this is what the judges had to say:

"Fine dining flair, international chic and witty charm combine on the plates of this super talented, ridiculously young chef. The trout with papaya-champagne sauce and caviar is achingly wonderful.”

Hartford House, Mooi River, KwaZulu KwaZulu Natal. Tel 033 263 2713.

(S A Tourism Guide)

Jackie Cameron on walkabout in Bremen

Jackie Cameron with Gabi Kirschke and her friend Monika from Berlin

I have recently returned from a trip to Germany (Bremen) to cook for the Kirschkes. Gabriele Kirschke celebrated her 60^th birthday in style. The South African themed evening included Zulu dancers, music and Waterford Kevin Arnold Shiraz. A perfect evening that was filled with friendly faces, fine wines and food.

Gabi’s South African Birthday menu:

*Roasted Butternut Soup with Pear Custard Ice Cream, Pumpkin Seeds and Curry Oil

*Sweetcorn Fritter with Springbok Carpaccio, Fresh Rocket Leaves, Sun dried Tomato, Sour Cream and Balsamic Reduction

*Poached Ostrich, Caramelised Onions, Gorgonzola flavoured Dauphinoise, Chiffonade Spinach and Red Wine Sauce

*Malva Pudding with Dried Fruit Compote and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Proudly South African flavours! I am always amazed by the quality of South African goods that can be found overseas. Well done to the team at “Restaurant CAMPUS” especially to Marc and Frank for always making my time so pleasurable.

This unforgettable experience was made possible by the generosity of Gabi and Rainer Kirschke. Thank you.

(Photo kindly supplied by Rainer Kirschke)

The magnitude of Hartford's Top Ten Restaurant Award

Cheryl Goss and Jackie Cameron
(Photo : Paula Mackenzie)

"Form is temporary : CLASS IS PERMANENT"

There’s an old saying in the racing world that you might fluke the odd big performance, but it’s the ability to consistently achieve at the top level that’s the real mark of quality. The magnitude of Hartford House’s Top Ten Restaurant Award last Sunday evening, is only just beginning to sink in, and the extent of it is quietly coming home to us.

The reality is that none of these achievements are overnight occurrences, and they’re no different to winning Breeders’ Championships. We know what it took to put a team together capable of landing the spoils in the horse business, and the sustained record of four consecutive championships has been the product of almost 30 years of blood, sweat and tears.

In Hartford’s case, the journey started almost eight years ago, with the recruitment of a man by the name of Richard Carstens, who came to us with the option of working at Hartford or at our new venture at the time, Lynton Hall. As it turned out, despite Hartford’s own requirements, we felt that Lynton’s need was the greater because it was in its infancy, and after eight months at Hartford, Richard relocated to the coastal resort, where he took Lynton to a top ten finish in the national awards, and in the end, was elected the nation’s top chef.

As Richard was departing for Lynton Hall, we discovered a waif-like Thespian, who had already spent a year at the Mount Grace Country House & Spa, in the form of Pietermaritzburg born and raised Jackie Cameron, and she proceeded to beaver away as industriously as anyone we’ve ever come across in an already industrious team. Though wet behind the ears, Jackie quickly revealed an underlying potential that’s rare not only in people of her age, but uncommonly so in older people too. It wasn’t long before local critics nabbed onto her coattails, and began to invest in her growth. People like Mechthild Yorke-Mitchell, then restaurant critic for Wine Magazine, Anne Stevens of The Mercury, Derek Taylor of the Sunday Tribune, and latterly and very significantly, Victor Strugo of The Saturday Star, who has been a powerful personal mentor to Jackie. All of them caught onto the fire that was raging at Hartford.

Of course, there's been many other accolades, and last year the Hartford restaurant made the Dine Top 10: Deluxe 2008 voted by Diners club international & Wine magazine, but the Prudential Eat-Out Restaurant Awards are the summit of them all, and to have achieved this is the ultimate for any young chef or restaurant anywhere.

The point of this is that under Cheryl’s tutelage, in the relatively short space of 12 years, we’ve seen the emergence of two national celebrities in the culinary game, and it’s all a result of a sustained obsession that goes beyond perfection.

There’s no team in the world that can appreciate the significance of Hartford better than that at Summerhill. We know what it takes, and we understand what it is that keeps you there. Class, class and more class, and nothing less than class.

Hartford voted Top 10 South African Restaurant

Hartford House Head Chef Jackie Cameron
(Patrick Royal / Hartford House)

On Sunday evening South Africa's Oscars of Cuisine descended on Cape Town's Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays Hotel. This year's Prudential Eat Out Top 10 Restaurants Awards evening was once again a glittering occasion with seven new restaurants making the final Top 10 list.

We are proud to announce that the Hartford Restaurant, with Executive Chef Jackie Cameron at the helm, was voted into the Top 10 Restaurants in South Africa. A special note is that Hartford was the only restaurant in KwaZulu Natal to receive this coveted accolade.

Congratulations to Jackie Cameron and the Hartford House Restaurant team on this extraordinary achievement.

The 2008 Prudential Eat Out Top 10 Restaurants results are as follows :

• La Colombe (Cape Town) - Chef: Luke Dale-Roberts
• Jardine (Cape Town) - Chef: George Jardine
• Terroir (Stellenbosch) – Chef: Michael Broughton
• Overture (Stellenbosch) – Chef: Bertus Basson
• Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient (Pretoria) – Chef: Chantel Dartnall
• Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch) – Chef: David Higgs
• The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek) - Chef: Margot Janse
• Roots at the Forum Homini Boutique Hotel (Joburg) - Chef: Philippe Wagenfuhrer
• Bizerca (Cape Town) – Chef: Laurent Deslandes
• Hartford House (KwaZulu-Natal Midlands) – Chef: Jackie Cameron

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