We know what you’re thinking. But it’s a real iceberg. And yes, we are going to explain why this hazel-eyed lady, one of our favourite chefs in the whole world, is wearing one of our aprons and kissing one of our tools in the middle of Antarctica.

Meet Jenna May Viney: a farm girl from the South African Natal Midlands, with a flare for food that lands her in all sorts of interesting places.

After graduating from the Elsa Van Der Nest Culinary Academy in 2001 Jenna trained with acclaimed Chef Mike Barrett for six years at the well-known Ginja restaurant in Cape Town. She went on to do three years at a successful catering company, establishing a reputable name in the food industry.

Then the real love affair began. Combining her passion for all things culinary with an insatiable hunger for adventure, the sold-out foodie embarked on a career as a freelance chef and has spent the last 7 years exploring the world and doing what she does best.

Jealous yet? Well maybe we shouldn’t tell you that for three months of every year Jenna gets to cook up a storm at the ultra luxurious Whichaway ecological camp in the heart of Antarctica. She is the chef for White Desert – the only company in the world currently taking people into the largely unexplored Polar region.

Perched on top of a 200ft icefall, powered entirely by renewable energy and complete with heated tents, a library and a dining room – Jenna describes the surreal setting as ‘rarely visited yet utterly beautiful’.

Weight and space restrictions make the selection of kitchen utensils for the trip very difficult. So you can imagine how chuffed we were when the Wustof Classic Chefs Knife we sent Jenna as a bon voyage gift cracked the nod into her luggage. Jenna’s kitchen is full of Wusthofs and reckons that slicing and dicing just isn’t the same if you’re using a shabby knife you inherited from your Gran. We agree, as would Harold Wusthof, the seventh generation leader of the pioneering family business that has been manufacturing these beauties in Solingen, German since 1814.

For her next trip we’re going to introduce Jenna to a few amazing space saving products from the Joseph Joseph range like their Folding Colander and their genius 8-piece Nesting Bowls. For anyone who operates in a small kitchen or is on the move, these clever British designers have invented some beauties.

Constantly on the move, Jenna’s itinerary for the next few months includes cooking for high profile private clients in the North Pole, Russia and the Himalayas.

When asked for any advice for aspiring chefs, Jenna just laughed, which made her seem wonderfully mysterious. Thanks for taking one of our favourite kitchen tools on such an epic adventure.

Popularity: 2% [?]

It’s been a long, hard-fought slog folks but he’s done it. Mike has won the chili competition. With two beautiful specimens to show off, he won by a country mile.

As for the other contenders, well, there is always next year. Perhaps we could grow a flower, or a common weed and perhaps then it would be a more fair competition. As for today, Mike is off celebrating by taking his day off all the way in the garden route, where chilies grow like weeds, weeds grow like Pierre Spies in the off season and the off season doesn’t exist. It’s just a perfect place year round.

Thank you to everyone who competed, it was a wonderful journey of self-discipline, tactics, scientific research and most notably, vermi-juice. To all the thousands of fans watching world wide, thanks for the steady stream of encouragement on the blog and advice emailed in. And finally, to those that lost: you have 24 hours to eat the winner’s chili. Good luck.

Popularity: 3% [?]

It’s official. We’ve finally managed to do it. Hold the phones. Stop the press. Turn off the stove, but leave the oven on. We’re making a commitment to support Soil for Life in 2010.

Who are they? Soil for Life is a wonderful little NGO based and operating out of Constantia, Cape Town, that teaches people to grow their own food. Their motto is: healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy people.

Judging by the work they are doing, their impressive track record and the basic needs in this country, we couldn’t think of a more suitable group of individuals to support this coming year. Who knows, perhaps after the soccer is over next year we could grow some world class vegetables on those pitches!

Charles at Soil for Life

So in brief, they start by teaching people how to grow their own food. This then leads to an array of different life skills ranging from composting, worm-farming, making preserves and selling their produce to friends or local markets… the list of benefits goes on. All the while they provide continuous support via experienced field workers. And what’s best of all is that it’s practically free for anyone who needs it to get involved.

The main focus of their work is helping poor people to start small home gardens so they can feed themselves. The impact these people often make on their communities is impressive – analogous to the growth of a seed into a large, shade-giving evergreen. Take some time to look at their website, read some of the testimonies and discover just how it easy it is to help make a difference.

Des's beautiful garden in front of her home

So from our side, we’ve committed to helping them in a number of small but exciting ways in 2010 and are offering our customers the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and help as well.

So if you are intrigued, interested or impressed then watch this space for more information over the coming weeks.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Set to inspire a whole new love affair with iconic Le Creuset Cast Iron when it hits SA cinemas on November 13th, Julie & Julia boasts an impressive cast and a heady mix of food, relationships and writing.

Yuppiechef and Le Creuset have teamed up to give away a R5,000 set of Le Creuset pots. Here’s what you have to do:

1) Write about a great cooking or eating experience that you’ve had. Including a recipe would be great.

2) Post it on your blog or on the Yuppiechef Fan Page wall.

3) Tell us about your story by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page and if you have posted your story on your blog, please link to this page.

A winner will be selected by the comments the story receives, and the judges’ opinion. The competition will close on 30 December 2009.

Good luck, folks!

UPDATE (5 January 2010): Happy New Year, people! The competition is now closed and we are going through the intense process of choosing a winner. Stay tuned

More about the movie:

Le Creuset features throughout the movie that has already sent US and UK audiences rushing back to the kitchen to pore over cookbooks.  Meryl Streep is Julia Child and Amy Adams is writer Julie Powell in Nora Ephron’s comedy, Julie & Julia. Before Ina, before Rachael, before Emeril, there was Julia, the woman who forever changed the way America cooks.  But in 1948, Julia Child was just an American woman living in France.  Her husbands job has brought them to Paris, and with her indefatigable spirit, she yearned for something to do.

Fifty years later, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is stuck.  Pushing 30, living in Queens and working in a cubicle as her friends achieve stunning successes, she seizes on a seemingly insane plan to focus her energies.  Julie decides to spend exactly a year cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (which Child co-wrote with Louise Bertholle and Simone Beck) – and write a blog about her experiences.  Director-writer-producer Nora Ephron seamlessly melds these two remarkable true stories into a comedy that proves that if you have the right combination of passion, obsession and butter, you can change your life and achieve your dreams.

Le Creuset’s timeless Cast Iron cookware in Flame orange appears in both the 1940s Julia Child scenes and scenes from Julie Powell’s more recent year-long attempt to recreate her recipes.  To celebrate its presence in Julie & Julia,

So be prepared to laugh, cry and fall in love with Le Creuset when Julie & Julia open at cinemas November 13th!

Popularity: 9% [?]

So today we have the pleasure of interviewing Andrew: the brains of more than one operation. Here we have his first chilli pot plant experiment:

So it seems simple, modern and efficient – just what we expected from the man. yet we know that something more lurks beneath the surface. Having established himself as the ‘king of the worm farm’ in the sunny southern suburbs we know he has some special tea in store for his plant. We interviewed him earlier and here are his thoughts:

1. Your strategy for winning this contest? Wouldn’t you like to know! I’m not sure my strategy passes local agricultural and health regulations, so it’s best not written down.
2. Who your biggest competitor is? Diamond-boy and Shane’s flower pot talk a big game, but I think the ever-so-laid-back Kaylee has more up her sleeve than she’s letting on.
3. What you are going to do with your prize? Stroll around the office in my board-shorts and towel, sipping a cocktail and laughing at the rest of the team, before heading off for a swim at Muizenberg, before returning to show off my tan.
4. Thoughts on the competition so far? It’s grueling stuff. With the public holiday last week and then Friday spent in meetings my little babies went a whole 4 days without water and are a bit worse for wear, but I reckon instilling some toughness in them will pay off for me in the long run.

Well folks, it seems we have a serious contender here, other contestants watch out. One does wonder though, if he can’t spell ‘chilli’ has he a hope…?

Popularity: 2% [?]

Moving into more serious territory, we now interview Kaylee Clark. Proficient in all she does, and now sporting a lethal looking headset, we approach with caution.

Chilli Comp Panel: How are you this fine day Kaylee?

Kaylee: Good thanks.

Chilli Comp Panel: Your strategy for winning this contest?

Kaylee: Lots of research.

Chilli Comp Panel: Who is your biggest competitor?

Kaylee: Shane.

Chilli Comp Panel: Literally?

Kaylee: Um…

Chilli Comp Panel: What you are going to do with your prize?

Kaylee: Extend my Xmas holiday.

Chilli Comp Panel: Thoughts on the competition so far?

Kaylee: Something different and fun, a good way of bringing the team together and creating some competitiveness.

Wow, honesty yet without giving anything away. We have a serious contender here folks. Beware all.

Take a look at her prized possession and understand the gravity of the situation.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Today we’re with Shane Dryden, creator of the inaugural Chilli Growing Competition. Here is his entry, as we’re sure you’ll recall, bright and wonderful with a big white ‘backer’ for reflecting more light onto his chilli’s.

We had a few words with him and found his answers intriguing if not somewhat bizarre.

Chilli Comp Panel:Your strategy for winning this contest.

Shane: Biochemical engineering. That’s all I am allowed to say at this stage of the competition.

Chilli Comp Panel: What does that actually mean, ‘biochemical’?

Shane: I haven’t the foggiest. I was pretending to be intelligent.

Chilli Comp Panel: (cough Julius Malema cough cough) Who would you say your biggest competitor is?

Shane: Definitely Dale – she has been known to pull some serious moves and she has a wicked sense of humour. My mom taught me to be careful of people like that.

Chilli Comp Panel: What you are going to do with your prize?

Shane: Seeing as the prize is an entire day off work – I will probably come to work anyway just to show everyone that I am really committed to Yuppiechef. That will score me some long term brownie points which should ultimately work in my favour.

Chilli Comp Panel: Thoughts on the competition so far?

Shane: I am very surprised at the standard of this competition, it’s clear that everyone has done their research and are (sic) well prepared. I feel that gender testing should have been introduced earlier on in the competition, I am a little concerned by how masculine some of the female competitors and their sprouts are looking.

Wow! Perhaps after watching District 9 Shane has lost the ability to be non-prejudiced. Perhaps his mother gave him some stick in his upbringing…  who knows? Either way folks, we have a serious contender here in Shane. His Chilli bush is leading the way with almost 7 full sprouts now. Check this picture taken yesterday:

Ok, so some of them look a bit like weeds, but give him some credit ‘a little weed is better than nothing’.

Popularity: 2% [?]

So we’re two weeks into the Competition and thought it would be time to do an in depth analysis of the competitors. Who are they? What are their backgrounds? Their strategies? Their failings, misgivings and regrets? What do they think it will take to win and just why they think so…

It’s all here: raw, unedited and straight from the mouth of a racing horse.

So from left to right we have: Shane, Mike, Kaylee, Dale and Andrew. Different strategies, different techniques but all confined to the same size pot and a common goal: the most chilli’s grown in 3 months. Who will win? Time will tell. But let’s begin by interviewing Mike – the overwhelming favourite judging by viewer votes, agricultural knowledge and general likelihood.

Chilli Comp Panel: So Mike, you’re more than likely to win, how do you feel about that?

Mike: Well, pretty confident actually. When something is a certainty there really is no room for doubt.

Chilli Comp Panel: Any strategies you’re willing to share?

Mike: Well I like a challenge so here are some. One: believe you’re going to win. Two: I love plant. Three: sabotage.

Chilli Comp Panel: Wow! You mean you’re actually contemplating sabotage?

Mike: Oh, I was just joking, no need to do this in such a simple contest. This is nowhere as challenging as the Ridonculous Raddish Race of ‘89. I mean there we had sleet and snow, huge research budgets and of course… the Russians.

Chilli Comp Panel: Sheesh, sounds crazy. Well, we have to go interview the other competitors and see what they are doing to secure second place. I guess we don’t have to say good luck but, enjoy the contest anyhow, thanks for your time.

Mike: A pleasure as always.

Take a look at Mike’s beautiful entry here: ‘Chillisaurus Rex‘

It seems some precious metals could be the key to his success, or are they…

Popularity: 2% [?]

Here are the official rules for the chilli growing competition that is going down at Yuppiechef HQ – read about it here.

Rules and regulations:

• Each person is to be given one container and an equal amount of seeds to start with. No other seeds may be brought in to the competition at any stage – even to encourage their cousin seeds during difficult times of the contest.
• You may use any substance, material, known particle of our universe in the effort to win the competition. My advice is in moderation.
• You may not tamper with a fellow competitors chilli growing project physically. Though words, thoughts, prayers and transcendental imagineering or chilli-psychosis is permissible in all forms.
• The starting date is 11am today. The ‘finish line’ is 11am, the 14^th of December 2009, GMT+2. This is under the premise that time is a linear concept and cannot be interfered with – should you be able to manipulate it to your advantage you will be given the competition and hence a day off, provided you give us many holidays in return with your powers.
• You may not levitate.
• The points scoring system works as such: 5 for every red chilli, 3 for every green. A chilli is determined as red if more than 66.6% of it is deemed red by the panel (more on that later). A chilli is deemed a ‘chilli’ if it is at least 2cm in length and satisfies the panel’s criterion (yes, more coming) of what constitutes a chilli.
• No puns involving the country ‘Chile’ or the temperature referring ‘chilly’ may be used throughout the duration of this contest. Should you fail in this regard you will be docked 2 points per instance and be in line for the ‘Let’s chuck atcha in his eye’ award. This is a curious award originating from the foothills of the Nepalese mountains. The story has probably changed over the generations but simply put: the other contestants in the competition are permitted to find any form of atcha in the vicinity (<5km) and together rub it in the offender’s eye. Note: Only one eye can be used for this purpose and it should be established in a democratic and logical fashion which one that will be – as a true Nepalese village would do. Should the offender remain calm and voice no complaint throughout the rigorous (but quite effective) torture he/she will be awarded one point in their title race. If anyone in the ‘actcha rubbing’ group should laugh, think or smile during the process though, that point will be taken away.
• Each contestant is to submit (via the panel) a blog-worthy post of their progress, thoughts and cunning strategies for the wider Yuppiechef audience. Failure to amuse or entertain the audience will result in embarrassment. Due to this we the panel thought no points will be deducted – no use chucking salt in the wounds of a wounded woundee. (Note: a woundee is someone who has wounded our Yuppiechef audience with a poorly written blog post, something that has never happened in the history of Yuppiechef and hopefully never will).
• Good luck to all, may it be as entertaining as watching that squirrel water ski on YouTube.
• May the best man win. And may the youngest man win.
• Out of interest, the panel is me. I now you’re thinking ‘hey, a panel surely consists of a group of nice people’ but I say ‘hey’ back – I couldn’t find anyone else who fitted that description. So you’re stuck with me.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Monday saw the beginning of what is sure to become an annual competition at Yuppiechef HQ. Yes, it all began with the sheer wisdom of Shane – ‘why not have a chilli growing competition and offer a day’s leave to the first person who grows a one?’. The idea was an instant hit (especially to employees) and when there was a sunny day, out we popped out to Soil for Life to grab some Chilli seeds and little pots to grow them in.

Some rules were developed, not sure by who again, and an hour later we had ourselves a competition. Check the 5 entrants of the people in the office that day below. Unfortunately for those staff members who were holidaying overseas or elsewhere (like at home in bed) they were to miss out.

So our best wishes to all competitors, as the rules stipulate “May the best man win. And may the youngest man win”.For those poor people at home who feel left out, why not send in some tips, encouragments or even photos to help spur us on.  We may know some things about kitchen tools, but in the world of chilli growing we’re amateurs (generally). You never know, maybe we’ll send you some lovely, organic chilli’s with your next order!

Contest rules and in depth interviews to follow…

Popularity: 2% [?]