From MasterChef to masterclass – Jamie Fleming has launched a new hands-on cooking experience
Jamie Fleming knows his way around a kitchen – now he wants you to as well. After more than 20 years in hospitality, the seasoned chef is translating his knowledge into a series of relaxed, hands-on cooking classes. Fostering confidence, curiosity and connection, HEARD is all about cooking with less pressure and more pleasure, with plenty of good food in between.
Jamie Fleming has done just about everything one can do in a hospitality career.
He’s pulled beers in haunts at home and abroad, shaken tins at award-winning cocktail bars, cooked in hatted kitchens and even opened a couple of venues of his own. For a time, he travelled the country as a brand ambassador for luxury spirits brands. He’s also appeared on MasterChef – not once, but twice.
For his next chapter, Jamie is putting on the educator cap – taking everything he’s learned in his 25-odd years in the game and applying it to his newly launched cooking class series, HEARD.
Named after the trusty kitchen call-and-response phrase, HEARD sees Jamie packaging his culinary experience into a series of classes geared towards empowering foodies to cook with confidence in a supportive environment.
“I think the concept of watching people take on a skill and understand ingredients a little bit better, to host a better party or even just nourish their families better … it’s always been something that I bang on about,” says Jamie.
You might like
“The reason that shows like MasterChef are continuously popular is because everybody likes to think they’re a foodie, but unfortunately not everybody always has the skills. I thought, why not share a bit of my knowledge and teach people to be better hosts in their own homes while having a bit of fun along the way?”
The impetus to embark on this new venture was sparked by a couple of inspirational sources – one was visiting fellow MasterChef alum Callum Hann’s Sprout Cooking School, as well as his own family, which has recently swelled with the arrival of Jamie’s fourth child.
“[My kids have] grown up in a big foodie house and understand that when we go to the markets, this ingredient is just coming into season so that’s what we’re eating,” says Jamie. “I think I’ve tricked myself over the years into believing everybody thinks like that, but some people just don’t have that upbringing or don’t have the skills to be able to just think about food in a different way.”
Based in Wilston, HEARD will give guests the chance to pick up skills and know-how via a range of intimate classes. Each class will be geared towards a single skill or theme, with Jamie guiding groups through everything – from the provenance of ingredients and preparation methods to timing, technical tips, balancing flavours and handy shortcuts.
Subscribe for updatesIngredients and equipment are supplied, with guests sitting down at the end of the class to enjoy the fruits of their labour, before being given take-home recipe cards and any leftovers.
“The classes are going to be kept quite small, so you are going to be doing most of the work with really hands-on guidance from myself,” says Jamie.
Currently, HEARD has two classes available – Mexican & Margaritas and Bistro Basics. The former features an informative tequila masterclass, a personalised margarita (made by you, for you) and step-by-step instructions on how to make ceviche tostadas, pulled chicken tacos, pico de gallo, pineapple and jalapeno salsa, and quick churros with warm chocolate.
Bistro Basics is a crash course introduction to the fundamentals of French culinary technique, with attendees whipping up a three-course menu using seasonally available ingredients.
“I think that there are two thought processes at play [at HEARD] and these two classes showcase those in a really good way,” says Jamie. “Mexican & Margaritas plays more to the fun of having a group over – you make two or three big things and then you sit around and chill out and have a good time. That hosting element comes through very simply in something that’s quite digestible.
“Bistro Basics is definitely going to be concentrating more on things like cooking a piece of meat and using everything that’s still in the pan to make a quick pan sauce. I absolutely love the simplicity of classic French bistro food, and that classic French technique, which is the way that I started to learn, is the basis for a lot of really good, simple cooking.”
As for the future, Jamie certainly has plenty of class ideas up his sleeve, from tutorials on the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine to six-week masterclasses that will arm participants with an arsenal of techniques. Regardless of the theme, each HEARD class will be infused with Jamie’s own easygoing personality and encouraging teaching style.
“I’ve been super fortunate in my career to work with some absolutely incredible people, in kitchens, restaurants and bars, and I feel very grateful that I had that opportunity,” says Jamie. “I love being part of that ecosystem and I’ve always tried to share as much of the knowledge that I have to get people as excited as I am.”
“This is just taking it one step further, making it a little bit more intimate and directly empowering you to be able to pass that knowledge on as well.”
HEARD Cooking Classes by Jamie Fleming are up and running – head to Jamie’s website to book now.
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.