Cookbook: "Freestyle Cooking with Chef Ollie"

Cooking is an expression passion, and Ollie Swart (better know as Chef Ollie) is testament to this. In his kitchen there are no rules – cook with heart, measure with taste, and dance to the beat of your whisk.

The way Ollie portrays cooking, and the experience thereof goes to the heart of everything I love about it. His passion for flavours, people and entertainment is palpable through his media posts and recently released cookbook. The kitchen is a chef’s dancefloor, a space to move to the rhythm of your tastebuds and create memories to last a lifetime. His content and food creations evoke excitement and a desire to explore new flavours.

I was recently gifted Ollie’s cookbook, “Freestyle Cooking with Chef Ollie”, and I have been exploring what lies between the covers - and let me tell you… its juicy, vibrant and generally just a good time. His cookbook is not like any other cookbook I’ve seen before and, truly is a nod to freestyle cooking. He abandons all structure of a traditional cookbook (ie. starter, main, dessert or vegetarian, meat, grains) and instead, divides his recipes into stages life and/or experiences. Every chapter includes a mixture of meals, snacks and cocktails to indulge in, together with playlists, incorporated as a QR code, to make the cooking experience truly memorable. Once again, he succeeds in capturing the true essence and joy of cooking and sharing food with those around you.

A man from my own heart…he lives to eat, and he uses his food to bring people together. His cookbook is not just about making a meal, but rather about creating an experience and so far, I have loved the experience associated with every recipe. There is something about his food and the way he introduces food in his cookbook that awakens your inner child. Between the flavour explosion, shared playlists, and youtube links, your kitchen transforms into a playground that tantalizes your senses

I first met Ollie and his wife, Julia, at my cousin’s wedding where he attended both as good friend and caterer. It is safe to say that the dining experience was one to remember, with a decadent spread of nibbles to start, followed by a sharing-style main course. From start to finish, Ollie kept everyone’s tastebuds dancing as they shared in the foodie experience together. Ollie and Julia are a creative power couple, both dabbling in the artist space whether it be through events and catering, fashion or art. I have shared a few conversations with Julia about art and fashion, and she has been a great pair of ears and supported my desires to bring my hobbies to the frontier of my life. Ironically, Julia and Ollie met through her mom’s catering business, Annelize Catering, which marked the start of Ollie’s career and relationship journey. It seems that Ollie values the foundation of family and close friends, and you can see this in his style of cooking and the passion he brings to his projects. A foodie experience is definitely enriched by the people you share it with.

As foodie and (creative) home chef, I have always enjoyed following food, home dinner-party and restaurant content on social media, so when I stumbled upon his Instagram page I was hooked. I love watching his content, and his cookbook brings his fun, flirty and collaborative cooking style to life. I highly recommend adding his cookbook to your bookshelf if you haven’t already or gifting it to a foodie friend.

-R

Instagram: @chefollie

Cookbook: chefollie.co.za