Viva Chef Paul! Viva Vivace!

The Wine Show is excited to announce our Resident Chef for 2010 is Paul Gindra from Vivace at the Radisson Blu in Sandton.

Inspired by chefs such as Thomas Keller; Gordon Ramsay; and Marco Pierre White, Paul has spent the past two years refining his art. He has adopted a gastronomic approach of simplicity with uncompromising quality. "I believe that you should allow quality produce and the freshest possible ingredients to speak for themselves. I don't think dishes should be over-complicated - you just need to get back to the basics and let great ingredients combine to offer huge flavour," explains Paul.

Chef Gindra will bring this philosophy to life during his sessions in the Friends for Dinner theatre when he'll demonstrate dishes from the Radisson's Vivace Restaurant and pair it with exhibitors' wines. According to Gindra, the contemporary Italian menu of his restaurant will be a perfect pairing partner for the wines. "Italian food is about so much more than pizza and pasta. It is about the produce and the flavour combinations. One of my favourite dishes is artichoke stuffed with basil and mozzarella served with a watercress salad and lime sauce and I think this typifies the style of the restaurant and my food.

Robyn, Ellen, Noluthando and Simmone

During the demonstrations I'd like to match the subtle flavours in the dishes to those of the wines in such a way that they complement instead of overpower," explains Paul.

Visitors are certainly in for a treat with Paul in the kitchen. He’s cooked for celebrities such as Brad Pitt; Elton John; Oprah Winfrey; Morgan Freeman; and Matt Damon. Several presidents including Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton have also graced his tables.

So, with such an impressive resume we thought the only thing for it would be to send in our beloved Taste Team to see if his cooking lives up to the hype… and they weren’t disappointed! Paul hosted them at Vivace at the Chef’s table and prepared a special 6-course tasting menu to highlight his talents. Each dish was specially paired with wines from Vivace’s extensive wine-list.

It would seem the ladies on the Taste Team were instantly impressed with Paul even before the first food was served! Remarking on the dinner afterwards Ellen quipped “the Chef is quite a dish, too!” and Noluthando stated she liked Vivace adding “when I grow up I want to hang there, if for no other reason to be there when they decide to have Chef Paul as one of the mains”!

Here’s what they tasted:

	Course 1 Seared Queen Scallops, Pea Puree, Truffle Oil with La Motte Chardonnay 2008 Reviews
	Course 2 Artichokes Stuffed with Basil and Mozzarella, Watercress Salad and light Citrus Dressing with Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Reviews
	Course 3 Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto, Shaved Parmesan and Truffle Oil with Rupert and Rothschild Classique 2007 Reviews
	Course 4 -Berry Sorbet
	Course 5 Grilled Halibut, Garlic Roasted Vine Tomatoes, Olice Oil Mashed Potato with Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2008 Reviews
	Course 6 Herb crusted lamb Rump, Butterbean Puree, Grilled baby leeks, Rosemary Jus with Landskroon Shiraz 2007 Reviews

For reservations at Vivace tel: 011 245 8000