Anytime

“île de païn – anytime” is chef Liezie Mulder’s second cookbook. In 2009 she self-published her first book, “Café Food”, in which she shared popular recipes from the île de païn menu. After two reprints, which promptly sold out, Liezie decided it was time to embark on a new book project.

Inspiration

Liezie wished to celebrate and share her memories of exceptional food moments; from the café kitchen, meals with family and friends and her travels far and near. Her intention was to create a book that was lasting, beautiful and useful and would capture the essence of her food philosophy – that of fresh, simple, fun and unique food.

Food Travels

Markus and Liezie use their holiday time to explore the world and are always incredibly inspired by local culture, growers, artisans, ingredients and flavours. Their travels generally have a food focus – from truffle hunting in Croatia, to planting vegetables and herbs on a Vietnamese farm; from discovering street foods in Istanbul to making soba noodles in Japan.

Liezie keeps a vibrant journal of each food experience – making detailed notes on tastes and presentation, collecting menus, scribbling pictures. Back in Knysna, she distills her favourite flavours and ingredients into new dishes that are served at île de païn. She felt the need to collate these new dishes along with classic family favourites into one book.

The idea for the book title came from a desire that readers would be able to make and enjoy île de païn food anywhere and…. anytime! Restaurant guests often ask how dishes are made, so Liezie decided to share some of the new café recipes in a fresh, fun format that would be accessible and appealing to the food enthusiast. Whilst writing each recipe she kept the home kitchen in mind and presented professional recipes that are unique, but well tested and easy to follow. The dishes in the book are those that the restaurant kitchen make daily and all ingredients are readily available.

The creative process

When asked what she most enjoyed about writing “Anytime”, Liezie said: “Definitely the creative part. I enjoyed working with creative, like-minded people and seeing how the book took shape step by step. I loved being part of the food styling and food photography and experiencing how the book gets put together in a professional way.”

Liezie worked with the team at Quivertree Publications, based in Cape Town. Each recipe was tested several times. The graphic layout process began alongside photography sessions in both Knysna and Cape Town. Props, colour, styling and mood were all painstakingly curated. The team considered several cover options before finally selecting the fresh and vibrant image you’ll see gracing the front of the book.

Launch

“anytime” was launched in an event at the Knysna Literary Festival in 2018. Guests enjoyed a lively conversation between Liezie and guest interviewer, Penny Rathbone-Smythe followed by teaser-tastes from the book. A road trip followed, with launch events and live-cooking demos in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Liezie participated in several radio shows and the book was widely reviewed.

What’s next?

Liezie does not sit still for long! She is currently embarking on a new (ad)venture with her beloved sister Thelma. They have planned 4 fabulous foodie “escapades” under the irreverent name “Thelma & Leez”. Their first tour to Italy in May 2019 promises a fun, decadent and delicious 5-day discovery of authentic Tuscan food and culture. You should come prepared for lots of laughs and abundant favour!

“île de païn- anytime” is available at the restaurant and through our online shop. You can also purchase the book at various stores countrywide, including Woolworths.

To find out more about “Thelma & Leez – Fabulous Food Escapades” contact artisans@iledepain.co.za