NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS — This little village tucked away in a valley in the Sneeuberg mountains is blessed with a perfect climate for fruit growing as well as abundant water that flows through the ancient furrows that feed lands and gardens.
Within the valley walls too, is a myriad of competent cooks who make use of the abundant fruit that, frost depending, flourishes on the trees.
The ancient pear trees grow well along the watercourses.
Even though the fruit develops high in the branches, the large, gnarled, old-fashioned, green/yellow pears ripen in February/March and create a harvesting frenzy.
Bruno Reolon has lived and worked in the village for 30 years. Born in Switzerland he worked as an apprentice in Zurich where he gleaned his expert cooking skills.
He has worked in Nouvelle Cuisine restaurants in Switzerland, a steakhouse in Tulbach and was the proud proprietor of "Bruno's" – Bethesda's very own pizzeria! At 81, Bruno sits in the early morning light at the head of his table in his beautiful home and speaks of his 'Fine Upside-down Baked Pear Cake'.
In his Swiss-German accent, he expostulates, "You need good pears! They should be long in shape…they have to fit well into a round tart dish you see!" Bruno plucks his pears from his own orchard where he prunes the trees annually to make them produce prolifically…"
That is if the vervet monkeys leave us any!" he chuckles, rolling his laughter-creased eyes and looking skywards. Bruno loves fine food. He loves the ritual of cooking and more so seeing the enjoyment that people get out of eating his food.
In his later years, he has become a proud 'raw food lover', but if you play your cards right, you may well be invited over for a slice of his Fine Pear Cake, clotted cream, good filter coffee and an entertaining story or two!
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