Tag: Familie

4 Articles

Laughing Chefs August 13, 2018

Themed weddings: Star-studded

Theme: Star-studded

Inspiration: Celestial

Trend: Shimmer and shine, crystals, dark rich colours

Colour: Shades of blue

Venue: Planetarium, or somewhere outside under the night sky

Dress: Corset-style with a ballerina skirt. Coloured shoes!

Groom: Dark suit

Flowers: berries, lilies, hydrangeas, baby’s breath, gip

Decor: lights – fairy lights, bulb lights, copper wire lights, oh and candles

Cake: naked cake with berries, fresh fruit, meringue and other toppings

Favours: Matches, or sparkles

Entertainment: star-watching, sparkles, a firework display

Take inspiration from the night skies with a wedding any star would be comfortable at. Lots of lights, candles, and heavy textures. Long dark tablecloths or wooden tables with velvet runners, floral arrangements that dwarf the table, or that hang from the ceiling. Candles on the floor and surrounding the dance floor. Food bars and interactive stations, with a dessert buffet that includes s’mores and a chocolate fountain. Opulence and over-the-top is key!

Laughing Chefs February 16, 2018

Elopement

Elopement. Colloquially defined as running away to get married, usually done in secret and more often than not assumed to sprout from a forbidden relationship. The word has a very strong negative associated, so strong that you are forgiven to forget that elopement can also mean spontaneity, impulsiveness, and unbounded joy. Sometimes, a moment of love can get so big so fast that all you can do is get married, because that is the only way that you can express how much you love the other person. Of course I am implying that marriage is the only way that you can show someone how much you love them. But getting married does have its own magic, and brings a certain feeling of contentment with it. I guess that is why the instant-wedding trade in Las Vegas is booming!

But back to eloping. Elopement does not always occur on the whim, sometimes couples plan months in advance. They plan the day as they would a traditional wedding, they just don’t send invites out. If they do tell people about their plans, and even if they invite guests, it is usually a very small number compared to the more mainstream weddings. I would say less than 10 guests in total. Usually the parents, siblings, and best friends. Often, the ceremony is similar to a “normal” ceremony, the couple exchanges rings and vows and everything we have come to know as the rites of marriage, and the reception is then still held afterwards. This reception, because it is usually a very small group, can be held in someone’s home, at a restaurant, or even catered for at an intimate venue. It will all depend on the couple.

I always thought eloping was romantic. Finding someone you wanted so spend the rest of your life with, not wanting to wait months for an available date to get married on, saving all that money so that you can invite a large group of people, spending all of that money… versus eloping – deciding you want to get married, finding your nearest court building, handing in the necessary paperwork, and that is that! Saying your I Do’s and then breaking the news afterwards. You can always have a big party after the fact, where you can invite all your family and friends, to celebrate you becoming husband and wife. It can still be special, maybe even more so since you eliminate the chance of family fights, wedding debt, and other issues that seem to always arise when you are planning your wedding.

We have done our fair share of “elopements” – couples who got married in court, then celebrated with a small handful of guests afterwards. In most of the cases it was not because the family didn’t like the partner, or didn’t approve of the match, or even because they didn’t have enough money to have a big wedding. For some people the glitz and glamour, or extra work, or attention, of spending of unnecessary money is exactly that, unnecessary. They want something small, intimate, and fast. For them it is about the marriage that follows, not the wedding itself. In other cases, their situations have changed drastically and quickly, leaving them no time to plan or wait for months. They need to get married within the week, stripping them of the chance to have the big wedding.

No matter what your reasons are, everybody should be able to have the wedding day that they would like to have. If you want to get married in court, with no hoohah then please do. If you would like to have the more traditional wedding but have no time or money, then there should be an alternative to getting hitched in court by a judge. We want to offer that alternative – a wedding venue for a 1-2-3 wedding. 1 – you pick the date and time so we can arrange the person who can legally marry you, 2 – you let us know how many guests to expect so we can invoice you, 3 – after paying the invoice you merely show up. What will you get? A forest chapel beautifully decorated, a person to marry you, beautifully set tables with flowers and centre pieces, a 3 course meal, sparkling wine for your toast, a bouquet for yourself, and a boutonniere for your partner. We can arrange the photographer as well. Want a wedding cake? No problem, we can quote on that too. In and out in less than 3 hours, you arrive as a Miss and leave a Mrs! And the price? Should you be interested, or want more info, send us an email to find out more.

Laughing Chefs October 04, 2017

Die kinders sit en tande tel

Die kinders van vandag. Blykbaar word hulle slim gebore. My oudste kon nog nie eers gepraat het nie toe weet sy al hoe om videos te speel op haar Oumagroot se foon, en speletjies op haar Ouma se foon. En nou met die tweede ene het ek dit bevestig – êrens in die moederskoot leer hulle al wat ‘n afstandbeheerder is, en word die liefde vir een gevestig. Want nie een van my tweetjies kan dit uitlos nie! Ons moderne kinders word net anders groot. Hulle word omring met tegnologie, wat nou weer sy eie uitdagings skep, in ‘n kultuur van gerieflikheid. Alles is vinning en hard en kleurvol en ons kinders word groot met die idee dat dit wat op ‘n skerm vertoon so na aan werklikheid is as wat dit kan kom. My kinders het my laat besef dat ons gejaagery eintlik niks laat vinniger gebeur nie. As te ware, hoe meer haas hoe minder spoed. Tog jaag ons voort. En dan wonder ons hoekom ons kinders soms dwarstrek.

Ek verlang na ‘n tyd toe kinders nog kinders kon wees. Toe hulle nie op 4 jaar oud gedwing geword het om in ‘n klaskamer te sit en leer nie. Toe hul vaardigheidsvlak nie afgehang het van hoe oulik hulle met Mamma en Pappa se rekenaar kan regkom nie. ‘n Tyd toe kinders kaalvoet geloop het tot Hoërskool toe, lees nie ‘n volksvreemde tydsverdryf was nie, en klim-en-klouter deel van hul daaglikse aktiwiteite was. As kinders het ons graag boom geklim, en moes ons gereeld ‘n grootmens nader roep om my jongste boetie uit die boom te kom help. Hy het altyd tot op die hoogste punt probeer klim, en kon dan nie self af nie. Sommige van vandag se ouers sou ‘n oorval gekry het – om voor ‘n skerm te sit is dan soveel veiliger! Dalk dra dit by tot ons kinders se liefde vir in die huis wees, ons moedig hulle nie noodwendig aan om buite te gaan speel nie. Of ons het nie ‘n buite nie. Baie van ons bly in klein hokkies sonder ‘n tuin, en die naaste parkie is gewoonlik vuil en onveilig. Oor naweke wil ons graag bietjie uitkom as ‘n gesin, en dan waar eindig ons op? By een of ander ketting-restaurant waar die kinders moet sit en tande tel. Of as ons gelukkig is by ‘n kinder-vriendelike restaurant, gewoonlik gekenmerk deur slegte diens, hoë pryse vir die gewone kos, en gewoonlik niks om oor huistoe te skryf nie. Maar tenminste kan die kinders hulself besig hou.

Nou hoekom hierdie lang storie? Want by Laughing Chefs Boersjiek het ons besluit om werklik kinder-vriendelik te wees. Ons bied veilige speelplek vir die kinders, hetsy op ons klimrame of die veldperk waar ons ook pieknieks hou. Ons twee klein hondjies, Ruby en Peppa, is die vriendelikheid vanself en mal oor kinders. Of eerder kinders is mal oor hulle. Ons kos is heerllik, vir beide jong sowel as ouer palette, ons pryse billik, en ons diens vriendelik! Wat meer wil jy dan hê? Oor naweke spits ons ons op die familie toe. Kom kuier gerus op ‘n Sondag vir ons Boerekos Koestertafel middagetes, en laat die kinders so ‘n bietjie kaalvoet rondhardloop. En wanneer hulle moeg gehardloop is kan hulle rustig sit en boeklees, of op ons tekenmuur hul kreatiwiteit uitleef. Die ouer lede van die gesin kan sit en kuier, oor ‘n glas wyn of ‘n koue bier, of die beste koffie in Pretoria Oos. Meeste Sondae harldoop my eie dogtertjie daar rond, kaalvoet en baie vuil. Met die honde agterna, en soms haar Ma ook! So al kom kuier julle nie vir die kos, geselskap, of uitstappie uit die stad, kom kuier dan vir die kinders se onthalwe. By ons sit hulle nooit net en tande tel nie!

Laughing Chefs September 20, 2017

Laughing Chefs

Laughing Chefs. ‘n Wonderlike Ingelse besigheidsnaam vir ‘n Afrikaanse Ma, en dogter-span. Ongelukkig het ek, Esrida (dogter), skool gegaan in die tyd toe geskiedenis belangriker geword het as spelreels, en dus is my spelling in Afrikaans soms tragies slegs, soms histeries snaaks. Ek het geswot in Engels, so the tools of my trade (and their names) is in the foreign tongue. Magrieta, (Maggie – Mamma) kom uit die eeu waar klankleer nog deel van die kurrikulum was. Sy kry vreeslik skaam vir haar kind wat nie onderskeit kan tref tussen kruit en kryt, maar ek hou vol dit is nie my skuld nie – eerder ‘n tekortkoming wat net nog dui op die vlakheid van ons skoolsisteem.

Maar nou verloor ek die draad van hierdie storie. Ons is die Laughing Chefs. Die naam is gekies in Engels want Laggende Kokke klink meer soos iets wat ontsnap het uit die tronk eerder as ‘n suksesvolle besigheid. Laughing Chefs het ‘n lekker “ring to it” gehad. Die Laughing verwys na feesviering, genot, blydskap, en passie, en die Chefs na dit wat ons doen – ons kook! Vir jare het ons gekook in ons eie piepklein kombuis en dan gaan aflewer waar ookal ons dienste benodig was. Van taxi ranks na herehuise, ons het kans gesien vir enige iets. Toe begin ons kook in ander se kombuise – Private Cheffing soos dit nou bekend staan. Die het ons jare gelede al gedoen, nog voordat dit eers cool en ekslusief, en toe mainstream geword het. En toe besef ons ons groei te vinnig en te groot en kort dus groter spasie. So het ons restaurant geword, in Rietondale in die Moot. Daar het ons eers gekook! Nie net in die kombuis nie, maar ook as musiekteater, kunsgallery, pop-up restaurant en vele meer. Ons het tapas begin bedien voordat dit die “it” thing was en elke tweede restaurant hulself voorhou as tapas bar. Ons tapas klein gereggies met ‘n Suid Afrikaanse twist. Weereens is ons geseen en het die besigheid gegroei. Na 4 jaar was ons weereens reg vir groter en beter dinge. So trek ons op 1 Jul 2017 terug Pretoria Oos, en hier in Tierpoort het ons nou nes geskrop. Die dat ons nou so lekker Afrikaans kan praat.

Ons is terug in Pretoria Oos. Back to our roots, in meer as een aspek. As deel van die Bronberg-gemeenskap kook ons nou, in Afrikaans. Ons naam het ook vergroot, nou Laughing Chefs Boersjiek. Ons strewe om die gasvryheid, integriteit en reinheid (organies, seisonaal, vars) van ‘n verlore era te skep, met ‘n definitiewe ode aan ons boere-erfenis en kultuur. Boere, met ‘n stywe knippie sjiek daarby.

Ons is grootliks funksie venue, maar sal nooit ons tapas-sukses vergeet nie en dus bedien ons tapas platters vir middagetes. Verder is ons oop vir ontbyt Woe tot Sat, vanaf 9h, en Sondae doen ons ‘n heerlike Boerekos koestertafel! Ons spesialiseer in enige funskie, van trou tot doop, verjaarsdae, baba-tees en alles tussen-in. Plus ons het 4 dubbel kamers vir akkommodasie ook! Gasvryheid en persoonlike aandag bly ons sterkpunte. Om by ons te kom eet is om ons in te nooi in jou familie, want jy is alklaar aanvaar in ons sin. Laughing Chefs – steeds Ma en dogter, maar nou lag en kook ons in Afrikaans!