All roads lead to the Cape Town International Convention Centre this weekend where foodies are in for a treat at this year’s Good Food and Wine Show.
South Africa’s first Michelin Star chef Jan Hendrick van der Westhuizen, Mi Casa frontman J’Something, our favourite Giggling Gourmet Jenny Morris and her side kick, Reza Mahammad, Lentswe Bhengu, Sarah Graham, Neill Anthony, Lisa Raleigh, Sherwyn Weaich and Vanessa Marx, are just some of the top foodies who will be at the show this weekend.
The world’s first celebrity chef and international headline chef, Marco Pierre White will also be turning up the heat.
White still holds the title as the first British chef and the youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars when he was just 33-years-old.
The former MasterChef Australia judge, also known as the godfather of modern cooking, says this will be his first visit to South Africa in three years.
Catch the world's first celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White at the Good Food and Wine Show
Picture: Supplied
“I was last in South Africa in 2014 so I am excited to be returning in 2017 to headline the Good Food & Wine Show for the first time,” he says.
“As much as I will be sharing my culinary journey with the visitors attending the shows, I am also looking forward to transferring knowledge and experience to some of the top local talent in South Africa and partaking in the diverse food culture this beautiful country has to offer.”
White say visitors to the show “can expect to meet someone from the Old World of Gastronomy”.
White describes his culinary style as classical, adding he was “trained in the school of French Classics”
“I believe we live in a world of refinement not invention,” he says.
“My love for gastronomy was born out of my love for nature.
“(It) began at the Box Tree in the late 70’s which was one of the only four restaurants in the United Kingdom to have two Michelin stars.”
White has trained famous chefs like Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and Shannon Bennett.
After retiring from the kitchen in 1999, he became a restaurateur and published several books, including his best-selling autobiographical cookbook, White Heat.
Admittedly not one to follow food trends, White says affordable restaurant food is the future of dining.
“The restaurants that are currently doing well are producing very good food at affordable prices and that is the future of dining. Making food environments smart but understated and offering affordability.”
One of the themes at this year’s show will focus on the food waste movement and Van der Westhuizen will share his tips on how to waste less.
The food from the show will be donated to Food Forward SA, previously known as the Food Bank.
J’Something will also be cooking alongside Jan Hendrick and Marco and an exclusive live performance during his Chefs’ Open Theatre appearances.
Describing his cooking style as “Afro-guese”, the singer turned restaurateur says food his food is his “story on a plate”.
“Afro-guese really sums up the mix of cultures that have influenced my style of cooking,” he says.
“‘Afro-guese’ also describes who I am- a blend of African and Portuguese cultures.
“My food really is my story on a plate.”
* South Africa’s largest culinary event opens in Cape Town on Friday 2 June until Sunday 4 June at the CTICC, followed by the Johannesburg show at the Ticketpro Dome from Friday 28 July until Sunday 30 July, culminating at the Durban Exhibition Centre from Friday 27 until Sunday 29 October.