As an extension to our famous Winter Wine Evenings, every six weeks (or so), Franck invites a winemaker to dig deep into their vinotheque and provide us with some of their favorite vintages. Quite often, the winemaker selects two beauties from some of their various cultivars …

This is where our fun starts … Franck designs a menu to complement the wines, often without tasting them … try fresh fish sashimi served with seared oysters, croutons, Bernaise mayo and watercress paired with Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and 2010.

We limit the bookings to no more than 15 people. Franck and the winemaker eat, drink, talk, and fall down with you. There can’t be many better ways to spend an afternoon!

This Friday (20th January), RJ is showcasing his favorite wines from the Nitida Cellar … click here for the menu … phone 021 789 1390 to book your space. As always, we look forward to spoiling you

The word “tapas” comes from the Spanish verb “taper” which means ‘to cover”

Legend has it that King Alfonso of Castile, while recovering from an illness, drank wine with small dishes between meals. This made him feel so much better, he decided that all taverns would not be allowed to serve wine unless it was accompanied by a small snack or “tapa”.

It has also been suggested that the original tapas were the slices of bread or meat (ham or chorizo) which Sherry drinkers used to cover their glasses between sips … to stop flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. The salty snacks caused patrons to consume more sherry and eventually became just as important.

Another common theory is that since one would often be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, plates would be placed on top of their drinks to eat, making it a “top”.

Some believe the name originated around the 16th century when tavern owners found that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine … thus “covering” it … they then started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine!

So, we believe while there are some fun theories about the beginnings of tapas, the reality of this awesome style of food today is that it is a smaller dish of something else on the menu, or it may be served exclusively as tapas.

Wherever you are, eating tapas has this undeniable attraction of bringing people together to eat a variety of delicious dishes, consume some superb wine, and to have fun … a natural extension of the Deli

The Foodbarn Tapas Bar is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 6pm and bookings are becoming essential … we look forward to spoiling you!

Mawethu on the right

A couple of weeks back, Sarah from THANDAFRIKA contacted me with an awesome idea … she has started a small project where she places previously disadvantaged people in local business’s where they can learn a variety of skills by working alongside skilled people. She feels that the Foodbarn Deli and Tapas is an ideal place for this and we happen to agree.

Fastforward to last Sunday and Mawethu November from Masiphumelele joined our bakery team at 3am .

Tim and his team are going to teach Mawethu to bake and Thandafrika are going to pay him during his ‘apprenticeship’  … what a great way to make a difference.

I got an email from Sarah today … “It was a happy day indeed seeing the transformation in Mawethu after just a few days, unbelievable and thanks so much again, it made my heart sing”.

Well, all I have to say is … no, no, no … THANK YOU Sarah for bringing this idea to us. I say this quite often but I’m going to say it again … there are many reasons why we love what we do … here is another one!

We look forward to keeping you up-to-date on Mawethu’s progress.

We are passionate about many things at the Foodbarn … one of them is working with talented and committed students who are starting their career in hospitality. So, we work closely with Alicia Wilkinson from the Silwood School of Cookery who send us their eager chickens from their second year already.

This year, we were very lucky to have Heather Parry, the avid reader and passionate dessert maker from Zimbabwe, work with us for her 3rd year. To graduate, Heather had to prepare a multiple course meal for around 25 of her closest friends which had to include all the honcho’s from Silwoods. Let me tell you … these exams are damn hectic and can cause many meltdowns in the lead-up to the big event.

However, we have a secret weapon at the Foodbarn and that is Head Chef Kerry Warren; she makes sure that all the chickens don’t lose their heads and all our 3rd years graduate top-of-class. We are sure this will be the case with Heather. Her exam luncheon went effortlessly which is testimony to her resolve and calm attitude, especially under pressure. Heather is one of those people that you do not hear a lot from but boy, she makes it happen in the kitchen!

She started cooking at a very young age with her Gran (who was an avid baker) and has thoroughly enjoyed working with Franck and Kerry … especially when she got to run her own section in the Foodbarn kitchen. In fact, she enjoyed working at the Foodbarn so much, we have managed to lure her back after graduation … or is this because her and Luke (from the front-of-house) are now an item ??? Whatever the reason, we are very excited that Heather is going to continue her career with us … welcome back to the Crazy Barn Heather

What a humbling experience it was to have him grace our ‘Barn’ with his presence.

He insisted on making time to meet the staff in the kitchen …

‘A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons’

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Each year one of our staff gets to pick a charity close to their hearts and we see if we can do something to help.

This year, it is Debbies turn … her Mom is one of those angels who work for St Lukes Hospice. Sister Yvonne feels that she does not have enough on her plate so she has decided to walk 175km around the peninsula to increase awareness of, and raise funds for St Lukes Hospice.

We thought is would be a great idea to put together an evening to send her on her way.

So, her rather well known commentator husband (Robin Jackman) will interview Matt Pearce on this years Rugby World Cup and Gary Kirsten on the upcoming Australian cricket tour … this promises to be an evening not to be missed.

We spoke to one of our wine partners, Nitida, and they very kindly offered to forego their wine evening with us and donate the wines for this evening.

Franck then got a tad excited and put together a menu pairing the food to the delicious Nitida wines nogal (French for ‘as well’).

You can check out the menu at … http://www.thefoodbarn.co.za/restaurant/

We know money is not easy to lay our hands on at the moment, and it does not look like it is getting any easier, but this is an evening for us to meet and chat to three of our top sports personalities … and donate some money to one of the most deserving charities on the planet in the process!

Date: Sat 29th October 2011

Time: 6:30pm

Cost: R395 pp (excl 10% service)

We look forward to seeing you there.

Pete & Franck

Obviously, the consumer is allowing this and these establishments are also obviously keeping the wine prices in line with the cost of their food. Quite frankly, this is a bit disturbing. If we were to charge for wine based on the talents of our chef, the wines would be exorbitant and so would our food be. In an effort to make the overall experience affordable and fun, we have taken certain measures.

Firstly, Franck has paired each menu item to the appropriate wine on our list … this is our suggestion anyway and we welcome any discussion and/or suggestions regarding these. Each of these wines is available by the carafe where you get a third of the bottle for a third of the price. We don’t load the price to compensate for any potential wastage as we use the ‘Verre de Vin’ technology to keep the wine from oxidizing. How awesome is it that a table of two could potentially have a three course meal, each course with a different wine and effectively only pay for two bottles … this is what we are about people … making the tastes and textures of fine dining that much more accessible and affordable, and hopefully, enjoyable too!

We don’t have a sommelier to ‘sell’ you an expensive bottle of wine and we don’t have uber expensive wine cooling equipment but we do have awesome relationships with many wine farms with whom we love working. This affords us the opportunity to bring you amazing ‘house’ wines from Klein Constantia and Cape Point Vineyards at very reasonable prices. It also makes it possible for us to bring you our insane winter special with Steenberg Vineyards and Nitida Wines. Not to mention the fab food and wine evenings with passionate and entertaining winemakers such as David Nieuwoudt from Cederberg and Kevin Grant at Ataraxia.

Understandably, there are still guests who prefer to bring their own special bottle of wine and for this we do charge a corkage of R40 and one is not limited to how many bottles you may bring (some people still shamelessly arrive with a cooler box full but that is the minority).

And then there is the Deli where we sell a lot of the wines available on the restaurant wine list (and many others) at really affordable prices.

The bottom line is this; we are passionate about our guests enjoying the overall experience of the Foodbarn (whether you are dining in the restaurant, buying wine at the deli or enjoying a bowl of tapas) … we have the delicious food, the caring and relaxed service, AND the affordable wines … we look forward to spoiling you. Pete & Franck

Everybody is familiar with the old saying: “Behind every great man…….”  This is definitely the case at the Foodbarn and the case with Franck. Yes, he has an amazing wife, but this is about the other woman in his life- Kerry, head chef at the Foodbarn.

 Kerry Warren has been working with Franck since 2002. This multi talented chef, who attended Kingswood College and went on to Silwood School of Cookery for her formal training is just a country girl at heart. Growing up on a farm, surrounded by pineapple plantations, Kerry always knew that her passion lay in the kitchen.  It’s a good thing that she did because she excelled and competed in equestrian events at a very high level and we may have lost her to the horsey world.

Franck is not only one of the finest chefs in this country but he has another talent…he surrounds himself with a team of professionals that have the skill and natural talent to carry out his vision. After having worked with him for so many years, Kerry speaks his language and understands exactly what he wants to create. This 28 year old chef runs a well oiled machine and has trained dozens of chefs that have themselves achieved top results at Silwood. Kerry chose to help Franck and Pete to put the Foodbarn on the culinary map by making the decision to start something new after her stint at La Colombe.

“When Kerry is in the kitchen, you just know that everything is ok”…. These are the words of her colleague and close friend Debbie (maître d and assistant manager).  When Kerry is in the kitchen, magic happens and everything is sprinkled with a bit of “Vooma”-not surprising since she is capable of running a marathon and has a fitness routine that would kill most ordinary people.

Although Kerry is the woman behind the vision, she is a creative chef in her own right. Anyone who is lucky enough to taste her creations knows that she is made up of the winning recipe- 1 part Franck, 1 part Kerry and 1 part natural talent.

With her infectious laugh and loud voice, everyone at the Foodbarn looks forward to birthdays because you just know that she has something up her sleeve and you are going to get spoiled rotten with cake, balloons, and singing and sometimes even wine. The novelty never wears out for Kerry. Her staff is of utmost importance to her even though some chefs have a reputation for being downright nasty in some kitchens. Kerry is the voice of reason and you always know where you stand as well as exactly what she requires of you. There is never any unnecessary abuse and throwing of plates. You produce a plate of perfection, and that is all Kerry expects.

If you are a client at the Foodbarn, this is someone who deserves a large part of the credit for those delicious meals you share with us. We are grateful to this crazy, loud, sweet, funny, hardworking, seldom scary chef and lady that very often makes the impossible possible.

On Monday night, we had the privilege of receiving our fourth award at the American Express Fine Dining awards. The Foodbarn is proud to be one of the 78 restaurants in the country to have the privilege. Thanks to Franck, Pete and Kerry, this restaurant is recognized by those with obviously excellent taste.

Kerry Loo, as we affectionately know her, we look forward to thousands more delicious plates of food!!! We love you.

Join us for a special evening of food and wine on the 24th September at 7.00pm. Franck has been so inspired by the delicious wines of Iona that you will be treated to no less than 5 varieties of wines from this special vineyard. ‘The wines from the Elgin Valley are intriguing and delicious and Iona are leading the way; I have been dying to pair their wines to my food’ enthuses Franck as only he can.

Start the evening off with the Iona Sophie Rosa when you arrive. This is just a taste of what the evening will deliver. With the 2010 Sauvignon blanc, a Norwegian salmon terrine. This is followed by an asparagus and oyster mushroom cannelloni with prawns and white truffle cream to be enjoyed with the 2009 Chardonnay.
The Iona Gunner 2005 will compliment the beef fillet with confied oxtail and fine beans with a thyme jus. Finally, to end off this delicious menu, the 2007 Iona Noble late Harvest to warm your heart with fresh strawberries, almond sabayon and lemon verbena panna cotta.

The wine evening gives you an opportunity to meet the people that make these amazing wines. The cost is R250.00 including wine. For reservations, please phone 021 7891390 or book on our website on www.thefoodbarn.co.za where the menu is available in greater detail. If you have attended these wine evenings before, you will remember that the pairings are indeed phenomenal and make us wonder how Franck does it (we will never understand).

We look forward to seeing you there!

Click here for the menu

The idea for Tapas at the Foodbarn was conceived quite a while ago and finally on Tuesday the 13th September, Pete and Franck’s new baby was born. Tapas at the Foodbarn deli in the evenings has started. If you want a glass of wine in the evenings with delicious tapas style food that’s a little bit different to what you are used to in the village, pop in and enjoy mouth-watering dishes prepared by Phil Mansergh and his team. Of course Franck had something to do with the food, in case you were wondering.

In the front of house, Mike Lemin, will welcome and spoil you in true Foodbarn style. The knowledgeable staff will be able to guide you in your selection (which is the stressful part because everything is delicious) of dishes ranging from calamari and prawns to chorizo and churros.

There is more good news. The shop is open in the evenings as well so no more having to travel for your daily essentials.
The deli will be open from a Tuesday to a Saturday night from 6pm to 9pm so join us for a glass of wine and some Tapas before heading home at the end of the day.

See you there!  Click here for the menu