uMhlanga chef delivers more than groceries with virtual cooking classes
Flax connects with his community over video chat and cooks alongside them from his own kitchen.
WHILE dinning out is a distant memory for fine-food-fans, restaurant consultant and uMhlanga resident, Jonathan Flax is using social media to teach his community how to cook like a top chef and enjoy their favourite restaurant and take away dishes at home. He will also take a ride on his motorbike to shop for the ingredients and deliver them to your door.
“The initial idea was to do something to help the community and because I can’t go into people’s houses and cook for them, the next best thing was to do some deliveries. I have a beautiful bike and love to ride. I put this out online and got some really amazing calls. What it’s turned into is suggesting a meal plan, shopping for the ingredients and then speaking to the client as they cook over the phone,” he said.
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Flax connects with his community over video chat and cooks alongside them from his own kitchen. He also offers help with meal planning, catering to a range of diets, including banting (low carb), vegetarian, Hindi (no beef), budget meals or romantic dinning ideas.
“This has allowed me the time to do some good for our community. I’ve met some wonderful people I ordinarily wouldn’t have met and it feels like my time during lockdown is not wasted,” said Flax.
His cooking tips also help people to serve the comfort food they are missing.
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“Cooking at home has so many dimensions. Obviously it feeds, but it can also be entertaining and it can be the medium in which the family bonds by cooking and eating together. It can also be fun. Lockdown might be a good time to try some new dishes you’ve never had time to explore, or try some healthy eating. Try starting a personal cookbook so when you hit on a delicious dish you have it recorded for the next time,” he said.
Flax is offering his delivery services free of charge to the community. He is currently delivering groceries to the elderly at a local old age home and a few families.
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