Vegan Chef, Jay Mac of The Kind Kitchen recently hosted a pop-up dinner which he titled Lucky 13 on (as luck would have it) Friday the 13th. This taste kitchen experience saw 12 strangers seated around a dining room table sampling some of Jay’s food created from locally grown and sourced products with the simple mantra of “CAUSE NO HARM” – an ethos he has carried throughout the entire structure of his business.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with a glass of Villiera 2013 Brut Natural and introduced to the other guests whilst nibbling on some rosemary breadsticks and chickpea fries with beetroot hummus.
It’s amazing who you meet in a room full of strangers: the deputy principal, the airline pilot, the actor, the plastic surgeon, the yoga instructor – all sorts! Makes for GREAT conversation!
The food followed…
This was GENUINELY one of the most delicious things I have EVER eaten!
Again – 10/10 for that parfait! GORGEOUS!
And to end of the evening (when the light was at its worst and I couldn’t take a decent picture) we had a vegan cheese board with Cape Tomato encrusted Provolone w/Black Figs, Cape Greens encrusted Provolone w/Dragon Fruit and El Naturale Provolone w/Nectaries, all paired with Domaine Grier 2016 Grenache.
Vegan pop-up dinners seem to have become a trend in Cape Town and what excites me the most is the prospect of the real-life connections that are made when one sits across the table from a stranger and actually engages with them (instead of through a laptop or cellphone screen). Not only is one having a culinary experience, one is forced (challenged?) to practice the art of conversation – something that we have almost forgotten how to engage in with abandonment.
The evening was priced at R550pp and was the first of many events that Jay will be hosting.
You can catch him on the 30th of April when he takes over the kitchen at Curry & Craft in Observatory and will present 3 courses (w/a Rosebank Brew or a glass of Stellar Organic Wine) for R350pp. You can book on info@thekindkitchen.co.za.
Also, note that Jay’s food can be found during the week on OrderIn and UberEats – just search for “The Kind Kitchen”.
Peace xx
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This set the bar SO high (food and company) that we are both worried that any others won’t live up to our experience! Overthinking much?!