Lapos Kitchen is an unique dinner experience – a five-course, culinary feast that can be enjoyed with fellow foodies at a long table situated in an atmospheric old mill, slap bang in the middle of one of the most beautiful historical spots in the Mother City!
Lapo grew up learning the art of Tuscan cooking from his Mama, fell in love with Cape Town, and is super passionate about cooking seasonally and sustainably using only proudly South African produce. His vivavious nature is evident in his festive long table experience, which in turn truly mirrors his journey as a chef.
Growing up with traditional Italian food
You might say Lapo Magni was born with a wooden spoon in his mouth. No, really. He grew up in Florence, Italy, where his mother, a trained chef, taught him the secret to cooking Tuscan food: putting your heart and soul into every plate. In fact, Mama Magni, now sadly departed, visited Lapo in Cape Town every year, hosting cooking classes – and keeping him in line!
Cooking is in his blood, and this is what makes his intimate Lapos Kitchen dinner experience so great. Yes, he is a talented chef in own right, having won Italy’s version of MasterChef in 2013 and worked in restaurants across Italy and in SA, but he is also passionate about sharing his belief in simple, honest food made with local, seasonal and ethically produced ingredients, like he grew up with.
Lapos Kitchen immersive dinner experience
Ever since calling Cape Town his home, he’s made it his mission to support local suppliers that are on the same page as him, whether it’s the free-range meat he gets from an ethical butcher in Paarl or the organic vegetables sourced from a Cape Town farming initiative that gives back to society.
As you take a seat at his long family-style dinner table and watch him get down to the business of cooking, you’ll find out first-hand how infectious his food philosophy is.
While Lapo is all about mashing up traditional Tuscan and modern flavours, the dinner is truly Italian in that it comprises aperitivo (think soufflé or a salad), primi (soup, risotto or hand-made pasta), secondi (something meaty) and dolci (because, what’s a dinner without something sweet?).
Foodie haven Cape Town is forever surprising with new food experiences such as this atmospheric long table experience in a working artist studio.
Each of the five courses of Lapo’s dinner experience starts with him telling you more about the star ingredients and inspiration behind the dish. If he’s decided to make his mushroom risotto, for example, you’ll learn more about his supplier of wild, foraged porcini. If his slow-roasted leg of lamb basted in honey, anchovy and mustard is on the menu, he’ll explain how the vegetation the free-range Karoo lambs graze on affects the flavour of the meat.
Other signature dishes you might get stuck into is his homemade ravioli filled with butternut and ricotta, served with sage butter and crumbled amaretti biscuits and his wild boar bolognese with homemade pappardelle.
But whatever is on the menu you can be certain it will be based on his Italian heritage that taught him to be appreciative of the fresh, wholesome produce that he grew up with, and has inspired him to use only seasonal, sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients in his cooking. This is how everyone should eat, he believes.
This philosophy not only makes his food more delicious, but also honours his dedication to minimising food waste and keeping the environment a top priority. Because Lapo is cool like that.
Highlights
- Hosted by chef Lapo Magni, winner of the Italian version of Masterchef “Land of the Cook”
- Join fellow foodies around the chef’s long table set in a historical location in Cape Town
- The opportunity to directly interact with the chef as he cooks and hosts
- Chef Lapo talks you through the 5 course menu giving context to his culinary choices and sustainable food philosophy
- A celebration of seasonal, sustainable and ethical produce
What’s included
- 5 course meal
- Jugs of water
Photography: Kleinjan Groenewald
