String and Salt Cooking School

Last night I had the pleasure of being invited along to attend a cooking class at String and Salt Cooking School in Warragul.

Opened by Warragul locals Michelle and Dave 18 months ago, String and Salt operates as a beautiful homewares store by day and a warehouse style cooking school by night. Housed in a beautifully renovated building in the main street of Warragul, String and Salt is a little gem of a store that is loved by locals and visitors alike.

The range of classes on offer at String and Salt really excites; gluten-free, Malaysian, Sausage Making, Salami Making, South African, Dad’s in the Kitchen, The basics of Bread and more. Classes are taught by a variety of chefs and cooks.

Last night was “A Taste of the Peninsula” themed class, presented by Michael Demagistri of the newly established East. Bar and Dining in Mount Martha. Michael might be known to some of you from his time on MasterChef: The Professionals, where he made it into the top four before being eliminated.

To start the evening, Michael shared with us a little bit about his history and journey as a Chef. Highlights include his time working with Jacques Reymond, a 3 month stint at Noma and his role as head chef at the Sorrento Golf Club. Two weeks ago he realised his long-term dream of opening a restaurant in beautiful Mount Martha.

Michael’s passion is to make food from scratch, using natural produce with a touch of playfulness. He also likes to forage beach-side and what better place could there be to do this than the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.

Our menu for the evening was:

Seven Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Scampi, brown butter snow, lemon powder and miso. This dish was melt in the mouth delicious and may have been my favourite.

Heirloom tomato, purple basil and burata salad.

Seafood Paella with clams, mussels, flathead, scallops, nasturtium and salt bush.

Creme brûlée with banana ice cream and crispy pearls.

All of the food was amazing and beautiful with multiple layers of flavour that really “zing” together on the plate.

String and Salt cooking school provides an elegantly casual environment to listen to the experts talk about their cooking, and to learn some tips on how to replicate the dishes at home. There were opportunities throughout the evening to “have a go” and there was a very hands on approach to smelling, tasting, and seeing all the produce that Michael had brought along (or foraged on his way) for the evening.