Simply Delectable Cooking School has wrapped up the month of love with one of the finest and most memorable culinary experiences.
The Star readers were summoned to this lively couple’s cooking event, where Christine Rankine, who is a passionate cook, welcomed them with mouthwatering recipes to take home - from the main course to the dessert.
Rankine, a passionate cook, was at the helm, providing guidance and revealing important insights about the world of food.
She explained that when her love for cooking grew, she started dedicating many hours to testing recipes, blending and refining them for the best outcomes, and developing new dishes where she saw a need.
“I originally qualified as a Home Economics teacher. I went to the Wits School of Home Education and I taught in schools and I ran my own businesses. I have done lots of different teaching in my life but in 2023 I became really ill. I was sick in bed for a year and at the same time, my husband was very ill and I realised that I could have died without doing what I always dreamt to do, that’s the main thing.
“I have always wanted to run a cooking school where I could teach especially the younger generation. To cook sustainable economic meals that are delicious. And when I realised that my husband had also been very sick at the same time, I decided I needed to have something of my own that was separate from him, so that we weren’t always interlinked.
“I had always had my friend asking me for recipes and asking me to help them about which equipment to buy and how to do certain things. I threw myself a 55th birthday party. I decided I want to cook for my friend so chose all the meals that I wanted to cook (with the magnificent cheese cake - it is my signature dish) and I served it to them. They all said to me ‘why are you not running a cooking school or a restaurant?’.”
She said her passion for cooking led her to run a cooking test last year which was a resounding success. This has seen her teach other people in different countries as well.
Rankine also talked lovingly about her husband and teenage daughter, citing them as her primary sources of support as her culinary vocation continues to grow.
She offers a list of culinary classes that promise to be delicious: Muffin Mania - Demonstration Class: Saturday, March 9, 2024; Perfect Paté & Breadmaking Thursday, March 21, 2023, and Couple’s Cooking Date Night: Sushi & Chocolate Brownies; Saturday, March 16, 2024, Simply Sushi – Cooking Class Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
The Star