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Chef Knut’s Mind to Plate Art by Chef Knut

March 19, 2018 No Comments In TravelLYF

It’s a lazy weekday, if there is even such a thing. You know, those days when your head knows there is work to be done but your body is dragging its feet to actualize the goals. I am sitting on the terrace of Executive Residency by Best Western at Riverside Drive Nairobi. It’s a lazy weekday, if there is even such a thing. You know, those days when your head knows there is work to be done but your body is dragging its feet to actualize the goals. I am sitting on the terrace of Executive Residency by Best Western at Riverside Drive Nairobi.

Chef Knut Stanceslaus Mate is in the Kitchen, he is preparing one of his signature Grove T-Bone steak and he invites me into his ‘sacred’ usually out of bound ‘staff only’ kitchen to see him cooking. His unusual name ‘Knut’ is because in the year he was born, his dad won a treasury position the Kenya national union of teachers (Knut) elections in Kakamega, explains the Chef.

Watching Chef Knut, prepare the food is a therapeutic art. The steak meat is marinated at 8 degrees centigrade to ensure food safety. The marinade is a mixture of vinegar, olive oil, light soy source ginger, garlic and rosemary. “I bat the meat to tenderise it, then soak inside the marinade for 15 minutes,” says Chef Knut.

Meanwhile, the vegetables are blanched in hot water beginning with the long cooking baby corn, then the carrots, cauliflower and broccolli. The veggies are then blast chilled which is a method of cooling food quickly to a lower temperature in a safe way and also ensures that the veggies are crunchy and not overcooked.

There is intentionality in this kitchen about hygiene, the chefs are all wearing masks in the kitchen, “no touching of masks is allowed and chefs shower after every 4 hours” says Chef Knut. Crockery and cutlery are disinfected using Suma Dis (D4), a disinfectant suitable for food contact surfaces and guests eat in shifts to control the number of people seating in the restaurant. Tables are arranged diagonally to allow for adequate social distancing.

The aroma from the T-bone on the griddle catches my attention. It’s been sitting there for 3 – 4 minutes undisturbed and covered so as to retain its juices, explains the multi-talented chef. Did I mention that he is also a scriptwriter and choreographer? So he not only creates ‘mind to plate food art’ but he also finds art expression on theatrical stages and has won several awards in drama, poetry and traditional dance choreography.

Meanwhile, the fondant potatoes are peeled and blanched for 7 – 10 minutes in hot water that has garlic, ginger, salt and turmeric to season and give a yellow tinge colour. This is followed by a 4-5 minute deep fry to a golden brown colour and seasoned with salt before drying them.

The plating of the food is ready. Chef lays the prepared food beginning with the vegetables, proteins then the starch, subtle reminder of the the portion priorities one should take. Tiger marked, cherry tomatoes that were grilled alongside the steak provide stunning colour contrast to the food and a cream sauce provides a finishing touch.

Recipe

The Grove T-bone steak

Ingredients.

T-bone steak 250g

Marination.

Olive oil 50ml

Lemon juice 50ml

Garlic 10g

Ginger 5g

Light soy sauce 15ml.

Vegetables

Carrots 30g

Cauliflower 30g

Broccoli 30g

Bay marrow 20g

Garlic 5g

Red onions 15g

Starch

Fondant baked potatoes 120g

Procedure

Weigh all the ingredients and label
Whisk together the marination ingredients for the T-Bone steak.
Bat and marinate the steak for 15 minutes
Cut and wash the vegetable with saline water for 5minutes and blanch all the vegetables.
Peel and cut the potatoes in fondant shapes and bake at 180degrees for 20 minutes on a buttered rack.
Grill the steak and toss the vegetables
Correct seasoning and serve.

In TravelLYF

LOVE NAIROBI FESTIVAL – Luis Palau Association launches a one-of-a-kind festival in the city under the sun

March 19, 2018 No Comments In TravelLYF

Palau Festival to take place in Nairobi, World evangelist Andrew Palau joins hundreds of churches to bring a message of unity, hope, and love to Nairobi. Over a thousand people attended the launch event and unveiling announcement of the LOVE NAIROBI FESTIVAL, spearheaded by the Luis Palau Association.

The event, held at Nairobi Baptist Church on Tuesday 7th March 2023, was attended by Andrew Palau, evangelist at the Luis Palau Association, as well as hundreds of church leaders including Canon Dr. Sammy Wainaina (ACK), Rev. Dr. Edward Ngaira (Office of the First Lady), Bishop Karita Mbagara (CITAM), Bishop Dr. Samuel Munai (PEFA), and Rev. Dr. Nelson Makanda (EAK) amongst many others.

Following successful festivals in fifteen capital cities in Africa, world-renowned evangelist Andrew Palau will partner with over 50 different churches, bishops, and denominations to bring the acclaimed LOVE NAIROBI Festival to Kenya for the first time.

Speaking at the launch event, “We are believing God for a historic work in East Africa”, Palau said. “He has directly called us to be his ambassadors there.”

Previous festivals have been successfully held in African cities such as Cape Town, Kigali, Addis, Cairo, Kampala, Yamoussoukro and a host of others. The LOVE Nairobi Festival which is set to take place from 15th – 17th September 2023, will be a three-day family-friendly event that will be held at the University of Nairobi grounds, and is projected to attract close to fifty thousand people per day in a significant evangelistic effort.

L-R Bishop Calisto Odede – Presiding Bishop CITAM, Andrew Palau – Luis Palau Association and Rev. Dr. Nelson Makanda – General Secretary of Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK).

L-R Andrew Palau of Luis Palau Association, Rev. Dr. Nelson Makanda – General Secretary of Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK), Bishop Kepha Omae – Presiding Bishop Redeemed Gospel Church.

Throughout the week prior to the festival, volunteers from business, civic, and faith leaders are collaborating with the Palau team to stage the event, and will work together with local ministries to in community outreach events such as medical clinics, prison outreach, school outreach and orphanage outreach, all with a message of hope.

Additionally, throughout the months leading up to the festival, Palau and several ministry partners will hold conferences for pastors and training in friendship evangelism.

“We are equipping and building capacity of local church leaders by offering training in pastoral enrichment conferences and friendship evangelism and are growing,” says Operations Director Anton Myburgh.

The festival will feature renowned gospel artists. Previous festival events have hosted gospel artists such as Nicole C. Mullen, Don Moen and Papa San, and the LOVE NAIROBI Festival is set to feature many of East Africa’s top recording and performing Gospel artists as well as celebrated international guest musicians. The three-day family-friendly festival will feature action sports, fun children’s programs, BMX and FMX riders who perform amazing stunts and share their motivational and transformational stories.

NAIROBI: According to statistics of the Metro Area, the population of Kenya in 2022 was 5,119,000, a 4% increase from 2021 and UN Medium variant projects a bulging youth population will increase from 47 million in 2015 to 115 million by 2065. Cities can be places of influence of culture but cities can also be centres where morality is corrupted, especially due to pressure on natural resources such as environmental degradation, civil conflict, increased migration and rising poverty. The church, however, can change the destiny of a city and a nation.

“I am humbled and honoured to be God’s messenger at this critical time in the nation’s history,” Palau said.

ANDREW PALAU. For more than 25 years Andrew Palau has played a key role in the ministry of the Luis Palau Association, and has been instrumental in building the festival model for citywide outreach and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to hundreds of thousands around the world. His festivals have brought him in partnership with thousands of churches across Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and the United States of America. A regular contributor to national publications and a favorite speaker at conferences and gatherings around the world, his weekly radio broadcasts are heard by millions of people around the world.

For more information contact info@lovenairobifestival.org

Facebook – @lovenairobifestival

Instagram – @lovenairobi_festival

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

It is good to see the different church denominations in Kenya rally together for a good cause and the Anglican Church of Kenya supports the Love Nairobi Festival because it is holistic and factors in different demographics including business community, women in society, prison outreach, children and youth activities. Cities can be places of prosperity but can also be places of great wickedness and moral perversion because of the economic and political powers. Cities are gateways to a nation, when a city is redeemed, the economic, political and social benefits extend beyond the city into the region and internationally quote by

The Very Reverend Canon Dr. Sammy Wainaina, Provost – All Saints Cathedral

The Church in Kenya is coming together as one voice to spread the wave of love in Nairobi for our people who yearn for a sense of unity and hope. Quote by Bishop Karita Mbagara – Deputy Presiding Bishop, CITAM.

We are throwing a party in the city of Nairobi to give hope to our young people and give them access to an abundant life quote by Evangelist Andrew Palau.

In TravelLYF

Msambweni: Home of Moringa superfoods

March 19, 2018 No Comments In TravelLYF

A 2017 trip to Msambweni reminded me of the joys of domestic tourism. Located about 55.6km south of Mombasa, this Kenyan coastal town in Kwale Constituency is home to the Digo people with an approximate population of 11,985 as per the Kenyan cities 2013 report.

The Msambweni Beach House, sitting on a ten acre ocean front land was my location of stay. Domestic flights landing at the Ukundi Airstrip ease the journey to this otherwise remote town. A gentleman in a Swahili kanzu and sandles welcomes and offers me a desperately needed, refreshingly, cold passion juice. He speaks to me in polished coastal Kiswahili which throws my urbanised Kiswahili scrambling for appropriate words to reciprocate his greetings. Clearly I am in a coastal town where I always initially battle with dress code – torn between conforming to cultural attire of women covering their heads or freeing my spirit to obey the hot- humid weather and change into shorts and a sleeveless top.

Proprietor, Frederik Vanderhoeven takes me for a tour around the property. He says he runs the Msambweni Beach House hotel with alot of ‘roho safi na mapenzi’ which loosely translated means pure heart and with plenty of love. Built in 2006, the Msambweni Beach House has 11 guestrooms which majestically display an architectural style that harmoniously blends Morrocan, Greek and Lamu culture. The plentiful use of white on most of the walls on the premises psychologically wades off the coastal heat waves. An outstanding feature about this beach house is a swimming pool that penetrates right into the lounge reception area, giving it a breathtaking cool effect. My field of eye vision from the reception seat shows three sets of blue that lie horizontally on each other: The swimming pool blue, the ocean blue and the open sky blue skies. Three private villas separate from the main house have their own swimming pool and Jacuzzis overlooking the sea. The rooms and villas have unpredictable out-of-the box construction concepts each having a unique character of its own yet held together by the Lamu-Morrocan theme.

Meanwhile, I am served Moringa tea which apparently is made from a medicinal tree grown on a neighbouring organic plantation. Co-Founder of the ME Moringa farm, Ms Jeanne Yockbag mixes hot water with tea, demonstrating how to make a nutritiously power- packed cup of tea. By day two my body is re-energised and I do not slump into the slumber effect that hot coastal towns seem to have on me. ‘The Moringa tree or ‘tree of life’ as it is sometimes called is a plant packed with 90+ re-energising immune building nutrients, 13 vitamins, 10 minerals and nine amino acids which restore the body’s natural balance and vitality. In the oral tradition of Ayurverda, Moringa is known to comprise approximately 539 compounds capable of preventing over 300 diseases,’ says Jeanne Yockbag.

A 2017 trip to Msambweni reminded me of the joys of domestic tourism. Located about 55.6km south of Mombasa, this Kenyan coastal town in Kwale Constituency is home to the Digo people with an approximate population of 11,985 as per the Kenyan cities 2013 report.

The Msambweni Beach House, sitting on a ten acre ocean front land was my location of stay. Domestic flights landing at the Ukundi Airstrip ease the journey to this otherwise remote town. A gentleman in a Swahili kanzu and sandles welcomes and offers me a desperately needed, refreshingly, cold passion juice. He speaks to me in polished coastal Kiswahili which throws my urbanised Kiswahili scrambling for appropriate words to reciprocate his greetings. Clearly I am in a coastal town where I always initially battle with dress code – torn between conforming to cultural attire of women covering their heads or freeing my spirit to obey the hot- humid weather and change into shorts and a sleeveless top.

Proprietor, Frederik Vanderhoeven takes me for a tour around the property. He says he runs the Msambweni Beach House hotel with alot of ‘roho safi na mapenzi’ which loosely translated means pure heart and with plenty of love. Built in 2006, the Msambweni Beach House has 11 guestrooms which majestically display an architectural style that harmoniously blends Morrocan, Greek and Lamu culture. The plentiful use of white on most of the walls on the premises psychologically wades off the coastal heat waves. An outstanding feature about this beach house is a swimming pool that penetrates right into the lounge reception area, giving it a breathtaking cool effect. My field of eye vision from the reception seat shows three sets of blue that lie horizontally on each other: The swimming pool blue, the ocean blue and the open sky blue skies. Three private villas separate from the main house have their own swimming pool and Jacuzzis overlooking the sea. The rooms and villas have unpredictable out-of-the box construction concepts each having a unique character of its own yet held together by the Lamu-Morrocan theme.

Meanwhile, I am served Moringa tea which apparently is made from a medicinal tree grown on a neighbouring organic plantation. Co-Founder of the ME Moringa farm, Ms Jeanne Yockbag mixes hot water with tea, demonstrating how to make a nutritiously power- packed cup of tea. By day two my body is re-energised and I do not slump into the slumber effect that hot coastal towns seem to have on me. ‘The Moringa tree or ‘tree of life’ as it is sometimes called is a plant packed with 90+ re-energising immune building nutrients, 13 vitamins, 10 minerals and nine amino acids which restore the body’s natural balance and vitality. In the oral tradition of Ayurverda, Moringa is known to comprise approximately 539 compounds capable of preventing over 300 diseases,’ says Jeanne Yockbag.