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A �Golden Pack Award for Best Small Stand� at the Durban Good Food and Wine Show last month; a Gold Award for the �Best Specialty Product Stand� at the Cape Town Good Food and Wine Show in May; and a Gold Award for �Best Related Products� at the South African Cheese Festival in March.
A noteworthy achievement indeed for Vyeboom Valley farming duo, Mervyn and Louise Howell, particularly when one considers that they only embarked on this creative culinary journey two years ago.
Under an hour�s drive from Cape Town, lies the pristine beauty of the Vyeboom Valley, where one can leave behind the hum-drum of urban drudgery and embrace the gentle caressing mountain breezes and sun-kissed, velvet landscape.
Nestled in the cradle of this majestic Valley, located between Elgin and Franschhoek, is the home of feast-de-renaissance. The Valley has an exceptionally favourable and unique terroir and meso-climate, with ideal growing conditions, namely chilly winters and low summer rainfall; all of which contribute to the creation of perfect fruit.
Initiated by delightful husband-and wife team, fondly referred to as �Merv and Lou�, this entrepreneurial gastronomic initiative uses perfectly-ripened fruit and copious amounts of authentic, preservative-free, fresh ingredients to conserve fruits, often infused with wine, resulting in the creation of a unique hand-crafted product range of fruit-infused accompaniments.
The feast-de-renaissance product range consists of four exquisitely sensuous product offerings: Pears in Red Wine Raspberry and Cinnamon; Citrus Stingers; Plum Coulis; Spiced Plums in Merlot. These decadently indulgent fruity infusions are available nationally at select specialty stores and retail for between R45.00 and R55.00.
Merv�s paradoxical co-existence of eccentricity, pragmatism, business acumen and charisma lends itself most favourably to Lou�s creative flair.
The synergy of this dynamic duo makes for an unstoppable team. Merv and Lou have spent most of this year rushing around the country, attending almost every conceivable wine, food and lifestyle show. They host each and every guest with magnetic enthusiasm, leading them through a tasting of their delicious products at their unique, eye-catching red-and-white striped stand.
At every show, Merv and Lou make new friends, discover potential customers and inspire chefs. Acclaimed Durbanite-chef, Shaun Munro, of DISH (the signature restaurant of the Royal Palm, Umhlanga Rocks) applauded the duo. He congratulated them on �making a unique contribution to the culinary world, as the only fully prepared food created solely as an accompaniment to cooked dishes�.
Chef Patron Philippe Wagenfuhrer of Roots Gourmet Restaurant at Forum Homini Boutique Hotel in the Cradle of Humankind, fell in love with the feast-de-renaissance �Pears in Red Wine, Raspberry and Cinnamon� which he immediately adopted and incorporated into his recipe: a home-made �Chalmar� beef and escargots sausage with red wine and foie gras jus. He raved effusively about feast-de-renaissance, proclaiming their product offering as �the best thing that has happened to South African food�!
Merv and Lou also entertained the BBC�s Australian �surfer-dude�-celebrity-chef, Ben O' Donoghue, and UK celebrity chef, Andrew Nutter. The foursome ended up feasting on an exquisitely authentic African pairing: �Pears in Red Wine, Raspberry and Cinnamon�, wrapped in Karoo Springbok carpaccio. Lou says gleefully: �They thought that they had hit the jackpot at our little striped stand and they both left with bottles of our products on their way home.�
Feast-de-renaissance sauces, relishes, coulis and accompaniments comprise a myriad of permeations of sublimely versatile flavours; enhancing almost any dish. Each recipe is masterfully blended to combine the essence of good, slow food. And each delicious jar of fruit can be enjoyed: as an entr�e with cheese, sliced into salads, roasted as an accompaniment to meat dishes, or with mascarpone as dessert - the possibilities are endless. An exquisite expression of luxury, feast-de-renaissance products are directed at those with a penchant for the finer things in life.
Feast-de-renaissance has been crowned with Gold Awards at the 2008 Good Food and Wine Shows in Durban and Cape Town and the 2008 South African Cheese Festival.
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