THE CHEF’S STUDIO has just opened in Bree Street along with a wine bar called ‘Frogitt & Vonkel’, offering a premium selection of local and
international wines.
Chef Matt Manning of ‘One Ingredient’ and ‘Private Kitchen’ have just opened a new concept space on Bree Street.
The Chef’s Studio, located at 103 Bree Street, encourages people to connect with each other through experiences which let them explore and interact with extraordinary ingredients. It features a number of sleek cooking stations equipped with the latest kitchen technology and cookware from brand partners Siemens and Scanpan, a communal dining table as well as a private dining room, where Manning and his team will host interactive & experiential dining events open to the public for booking, as well as private functions.
I attended the opening function and was really pleasantly surprised to be able to visit such a modern, new space in Bree Street. Not only is there a wine bar, but a food playground too. I have cooked with Matt Manning before and so I can vouch for how great an experience The Chef’s Studio is. What a perfect concepts for birthdays, year ends and even team building exe rcises.
Matt Manning Chef with Fiancé Roxanne Liebrandt. 
Leanne Beattie, The Wine Girl Cape Town with Laetitia Gerber of Hetzner.
The Chef’s Studio also offers a smaller, more informal everyday eatery also owned by Manning and located in the same building; ‘Grub & Vine’ will serve relaxed yet refined fare, and will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday – Friday, and for dinner on Saturdays.
Manning, who cut his teeth in London’s Michelin-starred kitchens, is known locally for ‘One Ingredient’; a pop-up dinner featuring a single ingredient across multiple courses. The experience includes a cooking demo from Manning, with guests required to recreate his dishes. He explains that the concept for the Chef’s Studio first came about when the space where he used to host his popular dinners, closed.
“What made One Ingredient successful was the interactive element; the previous venue featured a working kitchen, and guests loved rolling up their sleeves, prepping and plating their dishes, before enjoying their meal surrounded by a table of strangers – who often went on to become friends.
“I wanted to recreate this hyper-social style of dining through offering different, interactive experiences, in a more permanent, contemporary space.”
Housed in a Bree Street loft and with ‘Rugged Concrete’ countertops from décor partner Caesarstone, steel finishes and the type of heavy-duty extraction you would expect from a professional working kitchen, the Chef’s Studio is both industrial and elegant at the same time.
“The design and layout not only allow guests to harness their cooking talents; but to do so in a uniquely Capetonian space right in the heart of the Mother City’s most famous foodie district.”
Manning says that the Chef’s Studio was inspired by the growing desire for more experiential dining.
“People are now infatuated with food; we want to know how it is made, where it comes from, how to make it taste – and more importantly look – spectacular. Chefs have become celebrities. Farmers and butchers are heroes. Food styling is a sought-after career. People want to really immerse themselves in the experience of dining.
“The Chef’s Studio is designed with those in mind who are as excited about what goes in to creating a beautiful meal, as they are about eating it.”
The Chef’s Studio is now open for corporate & private bookings in December 2018, January & February 2019. Visit www.thechefsstudio.co.za for more info.