Former Solheim resident returns to launch cook book

Food and travel writer Helmut Taferner was born and raised in Neptune Street, Solheim, and lived in South Africa until December 2010.

He will now be returning to the country to launch his new cook book, “Earth Essence: Wholefood Comfort Food”, on June 11, at 7pm for 7.30pm, at Mythos, at the Bedford Centre, in Bedfordview.

The GCN told the tragic story of Helmut’s parents, Norbert (69) and Paula (70) Taferner, who died in an aeroplane crash in Tripoli, Libya (GCN, May 21, 2010).

Norbert and Paula were among 103 people who lost their lives when an Afriqiyah Airlines Airbus 330-200 crashed.

Thirteen South Africans were killed in the disaster.

“My father was an aircraft engineer, close to retirement but still with a desire to work,” said Helmut.

“In 2006 he decided to go into partnership with another airline specialist, to open a charter airline company in Tripoli, Libya.

“My mother joined him in this venture.

“My parents asked me to move back to the family home in Solheim, to look after things while they were away.

“They would come home for 10 weeks every year.

“In May 2010 they came back for a visit and we spent a lot of time together.

“We went on a day trip to a resort and I told my father that I wanted to write a cook book, he replied: ‘There’d better be some Austrian food in that cook book of yours’, and I laughed.

“My parents immigrated to South Africa from Austria in 1967.

“On May 11 they departed as usual for Tripoli, but this time they decided not to use the charter plane and they asked me to book a commercial flight.

“The plane crashed on landing, at 4am on May 12.”

Since his parents’ death, Helmut’s life has changed dramatically.

“After the sudden death of my parents, I decided to leave the travel industry and move to Hanoi, Vietnam, to write and travel,” he said.

“After two years I had a firm foundation for the cook book, fulfilling the promise I made to my parents.

“While travelling through Asia, I noticed the ‘back to basics’ of cooking, with whole foods, and I formulated wholefood, comfort food recipes.”

Earth Essence: Wholefood Comfort Food offers 23 mouth-watering recipes with whole foods as their core ingredients.

“When you enjoy fresh fare that has been grown naturally, has not been processed and contains no artificial ingredients; you will not only gratify your tastebuds, but you may even attain a deeper sense of well-being,” Helmut said.

“Delight your palate with easy-to-prepare dishes that fuse Western and Asian flavours, including prawn croquettes, pork dumplings, mango and linguini salad, and dessert pumpkin puree.

“A delectable new take on comfort food, this ground-breaking, satisfying roster of recipes comes together as a wholly good way to savour every bite.”

Helmut told the GCN that from the time of his childhood cooking experiences he has made it a goal to research the nutritional value of foods, both good and bad, making a conscious effort to select whole foods, as opposed to quick, ready-made fare.

“Pangs of guilt rise when I dare to drive past a fast-food outlet; disappointment follows when I stop to support it,” he said.

“Agreed, it’s not always possible to live on a diet free of unprocessed food, as we lead busy lives and don’t have time to make our own pasta, puff pastry, or mayonnaise.

“However, clear choices can be made to add to our well-being by selecting unprocessed, purer ingredients.”

Helmut added that when he was younger he often had questions about food, especially about which foods were healthier.

“My father would always guide me, and we would debate why certain foods were good or bad,” he explained.

“I used my spare time after school to read about the nutrients in food and find the whole foods that contained the highest levels of antioxidants.

“In my early 20s, I developed a list of allergies, including eczema, bronchial spasms, migraines, and lethargy.

“After many unsuccessful visits to the doctor, I decided that I could lessen the aggravation by just avoiding the foods that made me feel unwell.

“It was wise to avoid processed foods; then I added more foods to my diet that made me feel good, such as scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mashed potatoes and stuffed peppers.”

Helmut is excited to be returning to South Africa to launch his cook book and is looking forward to meeting South Africans who want to eat in a healthy way.

A limited stock of books will be available at the launch.