FOOD VIXEN
COOKING UP A STORM
WITH Java Boy
It’s safe to say we’ve embraced the cooking
culture. From Masterchef to MKR, us foodies
just love to watch amateur and professional
chefs sweating it out over whether their
croquembouche is going to be a massive fail
or not. But if Matt’s cravat isn’t your thing and
you don’t think you’re going to be wanting to
recreate the snow egg anytime soon what can
you do if you simply want to hone your skills
and impress your friends without the all the
cameras and fan fare? And here we have the
recipe for how I found myself at a Stratford
cooking class run by two professional chefs
one wintery Saturday evening.
Chefs Brandon and Dimitri - or Java Boy as
they’re collectively known - are two mates
who are not only accomplished chefs, but
also have that all important passion for
food. Brandon’s experiences have seen him
working for the likes of Neil Perry and Ben
Shewry, while Dimitri can lend his love of
cookery to his mum who was a professional
chef herself. He finished his apprenticeship
at the age of 19 (I couldn’t even boil an egg
when I was 19) and has since worked as
Executive Sous Chef at Tamarind and the
Pullman Reef Casino. Qualifications aside,
this dynamic duo whom kicked off their first
class in July of this year are both welcoming
and entertaining, which helps to keep things
pretty relaxed throughout the class.
Asian cuisine was the name of the game
for this particular cooking class with Tuna
Tartare, Son In Law Eggs, Nam Jim Oysters,
Chicken Laksa and even Singapore Slings
just to name a few. The cooking classes are
relatively small (10-12) and you can be as
hands-on or as hands-off as you like.
I chose to simply sit and watch, not because I
didn’t want to get involved, but because I had
only a week prior had a nasty stack on my
mountain bike and my hands weren’t quite
up to the intimate challenge of preparing food
for others. Despite me thinking that I’m an
awesome cook (not counting my consistent
baking disasters) I still learnt plenty of tips
to take home with me, met some awesome
people and enjoyed something a little different
on my Saturday night.
Without a doubt the best part of attending
a cooking class with Java Boy is all the
delicious food you get to indulge in! The
second best part is the instant street cred
you get with your mates the next time you
have a dinner party and you tell them you
made the wontons from scratch. Java Boy’s
cooking classes run up to twice a month with
themes changing regularly. Check out their
Facebook page for details of the next class or
call Brandon on 0488 605 653.
Follow Foodvixen on Facebook and
Instagram for Cairns cafe and restaurant
reviews and foodie news.
Breakfast with Dave & Inkie
Monday to Friday 5:30am to 9:00am
Oct|Nov 2016 |
9