Newly revamped, The Chef’s Studio fuses fine interior design, fine dining and interactive cooking

The Chef’s Studio is a unique concept space located in the heart of Cape Town. The venue hosts interactive dining experiences and masterclasses for people who are as excited about what goes into creating a beautiful dish, as they are about eating it.

The up-to-the-minute space was recently revamped by interior designer Monya Eastman of Stokperd. The custom-built workstations feature slick yet hard-working surfaces from Caesarstone, are equipped with state-of-the-art cooking technology and feature professional cookware from Scanpan.

It’s a professional kitchen down to the last chef’s knife, but it’s also a stylish, contemporary environment that epitomises the notion of “fine casual”. If you’re planning a kitchen renovation, either at home or for a client, it is the ideal space to test top-notch equipment and witness a working professional kitchen that has been styled to make people feel like they’re in a wonderfully appointed home, designed with food lovers in mind. For this reason, the venue is part of the Cape Town Design Trail, conceptualised by Decorex Africa.

“Stokperd has balanced the need for high functionality with a high-end interior. This is a kitchen space that works, and works hard, but it is also one that we just love to work in!” says The Chef’s Studio founder and chef patron Matt Manning.

Born in England, Matt perfected his trade in London’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants under the tutelage of some of the best in the business, including Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing and Bryn Williams. Upon relocating to South Africa, Matt worked at La Colombe, before his inherent entrepreneurial spirit saw him start his own business in private cheffing and events. In December 2018, Matt opened his first restaurant, Grub & Vine – located in the same building as The Chef’s Studio – followed by Culture Wine Bar two years later.

In addition to steering the kitchen in the bistro, Matt himself will also give the occasional masterclass in The Chef’s Studio, alongside a host of Cape Town’s most respected and exciting chefs. It’s the perfect space for birthday parties, events, team buildings, or corporate functions.

How it works, is that guests explore their cooking abilities under the guidance of a professional chef, before sitting down to indulge in a feast for the senses; a multiple-course meal which showcases the best that fine dining has to offer. The cooking workstations in the studio are spaced well apart and frequently sanitised as the venue observes strict health protocols. With the global pandemic, the safety of both guests and chefs comes first.

In addition to the cooking area, there is a communal table for social dining, as well as an elegant private dining room. Guests can enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience in a trend-led interior, while soaking in the ambience of the Mother City.

There are various cooking experiences on offer. The Chef’s Studio hosts monthly cookery courses and standalone classes, ranging from beginner to advanced levels, and focusing on different types of cuisine – anything from Korean to French.

It’s fantastic for team-building and the Corporate Culinary option lets companies inspire and stimulate their employees with a high-octane, fun and educational team-building cooking event. The hands-on cookery experiences are designed to break down hierarchies and barriers and stir up competitive team spirit.

The kids’ classes are specifically designed to inspire and engage young cooks under the supervision of experienced chefs. Parents are invited to join the chef’s table and enjoy sharing plates whilst they watch their youngsters cook up a storm. Culinary cooking parties for the littlest of chefs include themes such as Mini MasterChef, the Choccy-Woccy Doo Da chocolate experience or a kiddies Mystery Box Challenge. All junior chefs are presented with their own aprons, cooking certificate and recipe card to take home.

Upcoming classes and events are listed on the website: www.thechefsstudio.co.za.
The Chef’s Studio experience packages are available to book with a minimum 48-hours’ notice (subject to availability). For more information, please contact: events@mattmanningchef.com.