Tonya Jennings has combined her passion for food and cooking with her picturesque location ‘on the ridge’ at Kureelpa, into developing and operating
On the Ridge Cooking School.

Here she shares some foodie tips, tricks, travels and her musings…..

Tonya’s Musings

‘Faites simple’, keep it simple, admonished Auguste Escoffier, the great 19th century French gastronome - ‘Chef of Kings and The King of Chefs’.   From his little village near Nice, in Southern France, Escoffier rose to be master chef of all the Ritz hotels, to teach and to practice haute cuisine in its purest form, to invent over 7,000 dishes beyond the provincial dishes he first learnt at home, and he still said to his disciples ‘Faites simple.’   Escoffier’s gastronomic philosophy of simplicity in dining is still espoused by the finest chefs of the twenty-first century.

The On the Ridge philosophy is to cook fresh locally produced food in season, to cook for taste and to cook food simply, enhancing the natural flavours so the food looks and tastes delicious. 

Many other chefs promote the same views.  Anne Willan, founder of La Varenne in Paris and Burgundy, France, regarded as one of the world’s foremost gastronomic authorities, says ‘keep it simple’; the much admired and acclaimed cooks, Elizabeth David, (inspirational and revered English cook and cookbook author) and Julia Child (one of the first TV celebrity chefs and author of many cookbooks, including the classic, ‘bible’ two volume work Mastering the Art of French Cooking) both applaud and quote ‘faites simple’  in their writings.

….Elizabeth David, more than any other person during the last 100 years, influenced and altered perceptions of food and culinary practices in England and beyond.  To Elizabeth, food was the new leisure.  ‘It is custom, routine, conviviality, and is saturated with feeling and association.  A cuisine, a way of cooking, is a way of life…’
(Chaney, Lisa (1998) Elizabeth David: a biography.  London: Macmillan.)

Roger Vergé, owner and chef of the 3 star restaurant Moulin de Mougins near Cannes, praises his ‘cuisine heureuse’ joyful cooking – light and unpretentious, using the  imagination and varying the basic recipes, rather than cooking to impress.  His cuisine is light-hearted, healthy and natural, marrying products with one another to find simple harmonies and to enhance and compliment the flavour of each ingredient.

Christine Manfield in her book - Christine Manfield Originals (2006) encourages us to enjoy cooking for people and being with people who celebrate the richness and diversity that food offers us. Food plays an important part in the social process and affects our wellbeing.  She sees food as an act of generosity, coming from the heart.

Truffle hunting – le cavage - with trufficulteur, Edouard Aynaud at ‘Truffle èn Perigord in the little village of Pechalifour, Perigord, South West France.

One of the world’s most expensive foods is the truffle.  Truffle hunting – called le cavage - was also part of our week’s program at la Combe. In nearby village, Pechalifour, Edouard Aynaud, the trufficulteur, presented an interesting talk about truffles and then he took us truffle hunting with his labrador...
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Mirabelles de Lorraine - the delicious, small yellow plum fruit, famous in the Lorraine region of France
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Pineapples - our golden 'Sunshine Coast' joy
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Figs - the fruit from the 'tree of life'.
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Tomatoes – so many colours, shapes and sizes – what versatility!
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Pears - perfect for our summer dining.
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On the Ridge - On Tour in France 2008 and travels for 2009 and 2010.
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Market day - every day - local and French markets.
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Passionfruit - fresh, luscious and fragant.
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Pumpkins - Pumpkins and the pumpkin patch
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Citrus - A modern take on citrus marmalades.
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Avocaodes - no longer exotic, just scrumptious.
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Olive season at Kureelpa Park - picking, curing, marinating Manzanillo olives...
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Goat's cheese and our hinterland providores - Hinterland says cheese.
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Zucchini flowers - you say courgette, I say zucchini - stuff it!
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Crayfish heaven in Geraldton.
Last autumn, I toured up the Western Australian coastline, the outback and into the Northern Territory.  Geraldton, one of the towns along this coastline, about four hours north of Perth, plays a major role in the west’s commercial fishing industry and is famous for its Western rock lobster, known to us as crayfish.

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Le Cordon Bleu
A day at Le Cordon Bleu  in Paris - the gastronomic delights of Le Cordon Bleu with langoustines, rabbit, ceps, golden chanterelles and black trumpets. 

Whenever I visit Paris, I always include some days at Le Cordon Bleu for culinary learning and pleasure.  A truly marvellous experience.

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