Delicious is the first festival in South Africa to mix food and music. It is taking place on Saturday and Sunday at the Blue Hills Equestrian Estate in Kyalami. Aside from top international chefs Ed Baines, Aldo Zilli, John Burton Race and People Aneveski, Jamiroquai will be headlining the music side. Tonight spoke to a few of the South African artists on the line-up to find out about their culinary preferences.
Lira
What is your favourite meal?
Veggie pasta, which I have every second day. I make it myself. It consists of broccoli, sundried tomatoes, peppers, artichokes and rocket. Oh, and lots of garlic. I have pasta at least three times a week.
What is your most romantic meal?
I love fine dining. I love a six-course meal paired with wine. It is actually my favourite thing to do. In every part of the world I travel to, I must find a fine dining experience. I am pescatarian and love pretty food.
Your worst food experience?
I ordered a stir fry in Benoni and I am from Benoni. It was a gravy-cum-soup. It was dreadful. I called the manager.
What makes South African food?
When you are overseas you think, ‘biltong’, but for me its chisanyama, definitely with pap and chakalaka.
If you could be a food what would you be?
Malva pudding. Golden brown on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. I call it marvellous.
What are you looking forward to at the Delicious Festival?
My parents are coming and my dad is spending his birthday there. But this time we will have A-class food and wine. It’s a great family event.
Khuli Chana
What is your favourite meal?
I love traditional African food like pap, cow feet and chicken feet. I love it very spicy. I also love Indian food.
What is your most romantic meal?
A romantic dinner is when you stay in and your lady cooks for you. I don’t get a kick from restaurants. Mount Grace (Magaliesberg) is the best for a romantic dinner.
Your worst food experience?
I had shrimp for the first time. I was in high school and puked for days. It put me off seafood for life. I was a mess.
What makes South African food?
Our presentation and our spices. It’s all in the spicing. When I was in the US the food was bland. There is something in the way we spice our food.
If you could be a food what would you be?
I would be Bolognaise; something you could eat the whole week. I love Bolognaise. Or maybe pap. Pap will keep you going when times are rough.
What are you looking forward to at the Delicious Festival?
I am looking forward to meeting JK. Aparently he is an awesome guy and I am looking forward to his performance. I have never done a show like this. This is different. I am gonna give a kick-ass show.
Ross Learmoth – Prime Circle
What is your favourite meal?
Lamb chops.
What is your most romantic meal?
Lamb chops.
Your worst food experience?
I found half a cockroach in a Dagwood. It was horrible.
What makes South African food?
The fact that we re-invent food and make it better. You can go to any other country, but we make their food the best.
If you could be any food what would you be?
A mielie because it’s so corny.
What are you looking forward to at the Delicious Festival?
I am super-excited to see Jamiroquai. I am also looking forward to a good jam and a nice chow.
Kabomo
What is your favourite meal?
My favourite meal would be a seafood platter. Everything is on there – shellfish, calamari…
What is your most romantic meal?
There is something sexy about any kind of pasta, especially if it is made at home. I am not a fancy cook, but I think the idea of cooking for a woman is most romantic.
Your worst food experience?
I once went to a restaurant where you could eat all kinds of meat such as crocodile and kudu for just R200. I was sick for two days, probably because of mixing the meats.
What makes South African food?
More than food itself it is the moments that come with it. For example, if we slaughter there will be stories from my grandparents. We all have to wash our hands first and the elders must speak first.
What makes us so beautiful is the process and ceremony that come with dealing with our food.
If you could be a food what food would you be?
Maybe I would be a strawberry. I love the expression women have when they eat strawberries. It would be great if they could kiss me the way they eat strawberries.
What are you looking forward to at the Delicious Festival?
I am excited to see Jamiroquai. I saw them a few years ago and they are incredible.
I am so curious about food. I love watching the Food Channel.
I am looking forward to watching the chefs and am hoping to learn how to cook. We must have fun with this.
Danny K
What is your favourite meal?
A hamburger joint in New York City called Shake Shack which is a religious experience. I sent Kabelo there and he was blown away. Stuff the Natural History Museum, this is the real thing.
What is your most romantic meal?
When I got engaged to Lisa. We had a private dinner at Londolozi Game Rerserve. I was too nervous to eat so I don’t remember what we ate.
Your worst food experience?
A disappointing food experience was going to a place in Toronto that featured on Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives. It was so bad, it was terrible. Everything looks good on that show. I was gutted. But the upside is a week later I went to another place and it was out of this world. I love junk food, but I don’t eat it all the time. That show is junk food heaven and Guy Fieri is a legend.
What makes South African food?
For me the quintessential South African food is the good old-fashioned boerewors roll. Everywhere in the world I have been there is nothing that substitutes a boerewors roll. They can’t even make boerewors in many parts of the world. It is uniquely ours.
If you could be a food what food would you be?
Toffee apple because ever since I was kid I had an obsession with apples and I love sweets.
What are you looking forward to at the Delicious Festival?
I think for the first time it’s gonna be the ultimate mixture of good food and music on the enter- tainment calendar. It is long overdue to combine the two. It’s like fillet and red wine. Music and food are great friends.
J-Something – Mi casa
What is your favourite meal?
Pizza with parma ham and fresh rocket and some mozzarella and tomato and balsamic glaze. That is true pizza, not American pizza.
What is your most romantic meal?
Lamb cutlets with sweet potato puree and nice fresh vegetables on the side.
Your worst food experience?
A cockroach in my salad.
What makes South African food?
I define South African food as warm and hearty, like a potjie or samp and beans with meat. It’s very similar to where I come from.
Portugese food is warm and hearty, too. French food is classic. American food is junk food, but in a good way. Spanish is flavourful and colourful.
If you could be a food what food would you be?
I would be a crème brûlée. Hard to tap into, but when you get inside I am oh-so sweet.
What are you looking forward to at the Delicious Festival?
For me this is my ideal event. It’s mixing my two favourite things which are food and music. Plus, I am going to see my greatest musical icon – Jamiroquai. – Therese Owen