02/06/2015
July 2014
"What a treat of a day that was!
I wasn't able to make it to the Vineyard, but Anne kindly picked me up and off we went to what is called, "the Vega"; a little piece of paradise for a fresh food lover in the middle of the megalopolis of Santiago, Chile!
It was so obvious that Anne has spent a lot of time at the Vega. Helping us to navigate through the literally hundreds of stalls of the most fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and spices, I was awed by her confidence. She knew exactly where to go for the best quality!
Going back to her place, I can assure you the evening was a great experience.
We had the pleasure of relaxing for a half an hour sharing a wonderful Carmenère served in beautifully big wine glasses while Anne carefully washed and prepared what would be the making of a meal to remember.
It was great to sit her in kitchen (another place Anne obviously spends a lot of time) and observe Anne make the first course of what one might have thought was a simple broccoli salad. My intuition was telling me that she'd probably made that before too, but during our conversation, while preparing the delicious main course, she explained that her broccoli salad was never really the same. "For me, cooking is both an art and a science", she mused. Whether you agree with her or not, one thing is certain, the results are impressive.
So, after about 45 minutes of watching her work her magic (my assisting only with minor tasks since it was much more fun observing her and trying to appear that I wasn't making a mental note of how I too could view cooking as both an art and a science) we were ready for our meal.
Each course was beautifully presented and tasted so delicious! Although everything was wonderful, I must confess that Anne sure has a way of making a broccoli salad that gets your taste buds so worked up, you end up craving more. Now I ask you honestly, who ever really craves more of any salad let alone broccoli salad?
All in all, it was a great meal, many interesting conversations in a very comfortable home on a quiet street in Santiago, Chile. One could really ask what more could you ask for? My response would be, well, the recipe for Anne's broccoli, of course! I guess I'll have to take one of her other tours, hope it's on the menu and go to find out!"
Tom M., Canada
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December 2014
Dear Anne
A short note to thank you for putting together the lovely tour for my guests and me. Having visited Santiago many times prior, I wanted to be able to show them another aspect of Santiago and your tour of La Vega, Mercado Central and private lunch did just that…and more!!
Everybody told me they enjoyed the introduction to exotic Chilean ingredients, the hustle and bustle of the markets and of course, your lovely home. We all had a great time helping in the kitchen, sipping wines and well, some of us learned more about Chilean cuisine….the rest were actually happy ‘pretending to help’ J They all enjoyed the food and wines and that’s no mean feat, trust me…. Asians are exposed to such a variety of food, we are actually a hard bunch to please!
You were a wonderful host and you made everybody feel so welcome and comfortable. Thank you for a lovely lovely time.
Josephine T., Singapore
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July 2014
"Que dia perfecto, todo rico y bien organizado" Enrique R., Chile
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June 2014 Klaus N., Denmark
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March 2015
Anne’s Dinners
The place where the dinners are held is just in front of a street full of big, old trees in Providencia. You can feel the soft breeze on the terrace when you start to have appetizers. It could be Machas a la Parmesana (Chilean mussels covered with Italian cheese just taken from the oven) with an excellent glass of Syrah. Don’t forget that this country has more than 4,000 kilometres of coast, and the seafood is delicious, so try the machas, ostiones, jaibas or locos.
I am lover of red wines, and Chilean valleys produce dozen of different types. The dinner could start with the unique Carménère and its unforgiving tannins. This is a French grape that was supposed to have been lost during the Spanish Colony times and recently rediscovered. Out of France, this is the only country that produces it. A great variety of Cabernet Sauvignon could be tasted, just ask, Anne knows about good wines.
Salads or soups combine Mediterranean roots and the mapuche touches, like merken, a mixture of super soft Chilean chiles. Salt and sweet flavors in the salads? Just enjoy this mix. The city of Santiago offers you the best fresh vegetables, experience what she is capable of collecting at La Vega or Mercado Central, just for you.
You say “potatoes”? The Chilean island of Chiloé, in the rainy South of Chile, produces dozens of unique varieties. You can add to these flavors the seafood that the cold south of the Pacific Ocean can offer you: congrio, reineta, pescada, caldillo (soup made from the mixture of different mariscos and fish) or one Chilean salmon, one of the best pink salmons in the world.
Beef or chicken? Just choose. Vegan? Anne has many options. What could be an apparently ordinary onion, becomes something else when perejil is added to it. What to choose to accompany: different kind of beans full of colors, flavors and sizes.
Desserts are homemade, but not the European chocolates that she always has. Don’t forget the Brazilian or Colombian coffee, a great close for the charming environment that you could experience.
Andres S., Chile
