Meet Karen Schneid - my absolute muse! Karen is a culinary virtuoso who transforms anything to do with food into an unforgettable experience. Based in Johannesburg, Karen's insatiable curiosity and passion for the gourmet have taken her across the globe in search of the most exquisite ingredients and flavours. However, her true love affair is with France—its food, culture, and history. From Paris to Provence.
Once a successful advocate, Karen left the courtroom to pursue her dream, launching Oohlala Confectionary, a brand that captures the essence of traditional ancient French sweets. Her creations—ranging from luxurious nougat to gourmet marshmallows and caramelized-nut Pebbles—have made her one of South Africa’s leading confectionery chefs, delighting taste buds around the world and winning plenty of accolades and applause.
Why do I love Karen so much? She has run after truffle-hunting dogs through the forests of Italy (possibly while wearing something from Dolce Gabbana), studied the art of matcha from farmers in Japan, and savoured every dish in the vibrant village of San Miguel D’Allende in Mexico....she delves into whatever she does with so much passion, it's quite mesmerizing...
Oohlala's food creations don't just stop at the flavour, Karen has an obsession for the era of Napoleon and has cleverly recreated little "legends" who have a story behind every one of her treats. Her packaging is designed in a way that emanates the pomp and ceremony of the 17th-century Baroque architecture (think Palais de Versailles).
Indulging in an Oohlala Confectionary morsel, one quickly understands that it has been slowly prepared in copper cauldrons and cast iron pots, and cut and wrapped by hand....I sometimes think Karen time-travels and is Marie-Antoinette herself cooking in her highly ornamental Rococo kitchen....
To know Karen is to fall in love with every vibrant, passionate bite she creates and makes you want to pop-open a bottle of confetti wherever she goes - a trait she's passed on to her two stunning daughters, Saffron and Scarlett, who (not only photobombed our selfie above taken on rue de Rivoli over the summer after their meeting with Select Models in Paris) but are carbon copies of their mum - all 3 with their long black hair, blue eyes and brilliant energy, je les adore a la folie!
I would say Karen is my life-is-full-of-colour-and-flavour-hopelessly-romantic-soulmate and we often threaten to eat our way through Venice together...
Follow her on Karen Schneid and Oohlala and read her blog too!
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