Sausage Master, Neil Jewell

Forget the culinary law of averages that all charcuterie kings or butchers all live in Italy, and speak fluent Italian with sausages on their wall like trophies. We have met Deon's idol, a bloke from the UK named Neil Jewell who is the proclaimed and famous chef of Moreson vineyard's Bread & Wine restaurant. From our first impression, he has a crooked smile with soft eyes, worked at many fancy pants restaurants and really just loves farming and farm-living. Our meeting was a 9:30am breakfast charcuterie/meat and more meat tasting paired with Moreson wine. He is a chef that was delayed (something I know all too well), all due to a water leak somewhere on the premises, friendly, and beyond passionate. I mean really passionate. He detailed the aging process of his meats (4 years on the prosciutto) and even snuck us in his refrigerator or butchery space. You would have thought that Deon had seen a two hundred pound tuna just hooked out of the water. Deon was NCIS in the Moreson farmhouse taking pictures of the cured meats, and even whittled Neil's biltong recipe from him. Deon has been making biltong for quite some time, so it was Barefoot Contessa versus Giada comparing notes, and I was in total amusement.

The best part was tasting the lusty, unpretentiousness of Neil's food, probably the most delightful meals we had in South Africa if I had to rank. We had such meaningful conversations with a UK expat that not only included food, but chats too deep for a morning sausage and wine tasting. The foliage around the old Dutch farmhouse and winery, the animals grazing, the gracefulness of the people...the only downside? I can't think of one. Thank you, Neil.
http://www.spill.co.za/cooking-classes/the-pig-a-charcuterie-course-with-neil-jewell/1162/

Out of Africa

We are back from our journey, traveling through Italy to South Africa, and
I should be blogging on Napa, Sonoma, or even Mexico which all occurred prior,
but I'm blogging as I speak, stream-of-consciousness style.

I'm not sure why I have waited thirty-seven years to go to Africa, but better
late than never seems reasonable. Or, maybe marrying a South African is a better one? Reasoning aside, I could go back to Africa right now, and relive the moments in the wild bushvelt which is their term for safari. I think there are certain people that just melt into the landscape and Deon and I are THESE people. The amenities are there, just know that every other creature and critter is also there.


Our journey started in Cape Town, which is iconically pictured as Table Mountain.
Table Mountain is not merely the iconic symbol of Cape Town - without it's mountain Cape Town would not exist and the south-western tip of Africa would be a dry, windswept and sparsely populated region. Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on earth, six times older than the Himalayas and five times older than the Rockies. It is responsible for all human settlement as it provides a rain shadow, providing rain and the streams that flow in its valleys. You have two options getting to the top: hiking or riding in a large cable car. Deon has hiked before, and so as you can imagine, the ladder was the most feasible option to have lunch and a crisp blanc de blanc on top of the mountain. The landscape just swallowed me up, and the beauty of the coastline is indescribable.


The Winelands and coast are phenomenal. If I had to choose from my favorite Napa/Sonoma and the Winelands in South Africa which includes Paarl, Franschoek, and Stellenbosch, hands down, I'd have to say South Africa Winelands. The Winelands are earthy, simplistic, and rival Tuscany's Montepulciano and Montalcino. The winefarm drive-ups are lined with olive and Cypress trees which wind around the mountains, and all the tastings are free of charge....a big bonus. Every morsel in our mouths came from the land, the butter fresh from the cows, the meat from the area. The people support their farms and the word organic is humorous to them because that is all they know. You get a meritage of history with the French Huguenots in Franschoek and the Dutch in the entire Cape area. Deon's last name (Jansen van Vuuren) is always properly pronounced there, and was the favorable last name (to Perkins) for any reservations or perks.

More to come on Franschoek, and the famous sausage king, Neil Jewell...the acclaimed Bread & Wine head chef and charcuterie captain.