We were invited to a Sushi Media Masterclass at HTA, and let's just say at the outset that making sushi is not easy.
Upon arrival at HTA Culinary School, we were led upstairs to a medium-sized classroom for mingling and welcome drinks (courtesy of Woodstock Gin for this special event). The open-plan layout of the space created a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Principal of HTA School of Culinary Art, Chef Carien van Tonder welcomed us and briefly introduced what we'd be making that night and explained the two different ways to cure salmon while lecturer, Chef Sharnè Govender demonstrated. Chef Govender then carefully taught us how to make uramaki and maki before we went on a tour of the school with industry placement facilitator, Mr Duane Riley.
The school is equipped with state-of-the-art cooking facilities, and the spacious kitchen workstations were immaculately clean. We explored the different classrooms, which were each designed to mimic a professional kitchen environment – minus the swearing head chef. The classrooms and test kitchens were particularly impressive, with rows of gleaming stainless-steel counters and ovens.
We ended the tour in a large kitchen that the school uses for exams. Finally, it was time for the main event – making sushi.
Chef van Tonder introduced us to the ingredients we would be using, including sushi rice, nori sheets, and a variety of fillings such as salmon, crab sticks, avocado, carrots and cucumber. Little did we know that this portion of the night had a prize on the line, dinner at La Parada for the two best sushi makers.
HTA students walked past our workstations ready to lend a helping hand while we were put to the test as we made different types of sushi, including maki rolls, nigiri, and temaki. Let's just say, thankfully the high-quality ingredients meant our sushi (or what appeared to vaguely resemble) may not have looked professional but it certainly tasted good.
As we finished making our sushi, we enjoyed red and white wine from Radford Dale's Vinum range, but the Woodstock Gin and Tonics beckoned once more. We sat down at the long dining table and admired our handiwork while sipping on our drinks.
The HTA School of Culinary Art offers a range of courses for aspiring chefs and food lovers, they also host monthly five-course fine dining experiences which are apparently not to be missed. Overall, we left the school feeling inspired and grateful for the opportunity to learn from such talented chefs but think it's better to leave the sushi-making to the professionals.
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