|
Above:
Tastic Table of Unity,
SOUTH
AFRICA'S CAPE GOURMET FESTIVAL SPEAKS THE UNIVERSAL
LANGUAGE OF FOOD
  A
feast of fine cuisine and gourmet events takes to
Cape Town's streets, hotels, restaurants and coffee
shops when the 8th annual Cape Gourmet Festival
lifts the lid on the wonderful world of food from
9-25 May 2003. As one of only seven 'Cape of Great
Events' endorsed by the Western Cape Tourism Board,
the Festival has earned its rightful place as the
country's premier gourmet event with a plethora of
scrumptious food and wine related events taking
place in South Africa's Gourmet Capital. This
year's sizzling cast of international chefs
includes tasty master chefs from the UK, USA,
Italy, China, Ireland, Australia and India who'll
descend on the Mother City to indulge locals in a
menu of the latest flavours, trends and styles from
across the globe. South Africa's finest chefs are
joined by Boston's Ken Oringer, chef and co-owner
of Clio Restaurant; Italy's famed export, Valentina
Harris, who has her own cookery school in Tuscany;
Ken Hom, the leading authority in Chinese cookery,
and Indian chefs of the prestigious Taj Group for a
fortnight of non-stop culinary action. This year
the enjoyment of fine wines with food takes
prominence when celebrated connoisseur and founder
of the London International Wine awards, Robert
Joseph, brings his flair to the Festival. All the
international chefs are flown to Cape Town,
courtesy of SWISS International Air Lines, who have
pledged their support of the Gourmet Festival in
line with their commitment to quality, innovation
and service that makes them so undeniably
Swiss.
  The
Cape Gourmet Festival is all about serving a unique
menu of irresistible culinary events that saturate
the senses in world-class style. The pinnacle event
of the Festival, the Good Food & Wine Show
(22-25 May), sees the flocking together of
thousands of lovers of food and wine to a world of
tastes, flavours, workshops and live culinary
action under one roof. Fleur du Cap Restaurant Week
(9 &endash; 25 May) showcases Cape Town's
restaurant scene when more than 40 handpicked local
establishments offer inspiring two-course meals
with fine Fleur du Cap wines at very reasonable
prices. Fellowship is the essence of the
awe-inspiring Tastic Table of Unity (18 May) when
South Africans of all walks of life sit down to a
spectacular gourmet luncheon on the slopes of Table
Mountain in aid of the Festival's mayor
beneficiary, Red Cross Children's
Hospital.
 Local
is lekker when the Grand Opening Celebration (11
May) embraces all communities with authentic local
cultural cuisine and street entertainment in the
heart of the city. The Connoisseurs Celebrity Chef
Dinners (19 &endash;24 May) offer unparalleled
gourmet dinning when the international guest chefs
create their magical gastronomic masterpieces in
collaboration with executive chefs at the Table Bay
and Cullinan Hotels. The Table Bay also offers a
sublime afternoon High Tea prepared by world-class
festival pastry chefs.
The Festival ends
with a glamorous Grande Finale Gala Banquet (23
May) of untold gourmet and glamour when the
visiting master chefs supported by the Table Bay's
finest prepare an unsurpassed culinary feast in aid
of Red Cross Children's Hospital. Since its
inception the Festival, has raised more than R2
million for Africa's only dedicated children's
hospital.
The Gourmet
Festival not only brings the world on a plate to
South Africans, but also promotes local cuisine
worldwide as one the newest members of the
prestigious World Gourmet Club.
Acting as an
umbrella organisation for top-level international
gourmet events, the Swiss based World Gourmet Club
gives new meaning to the concept of gourmet tourism
by promoting the exchange of international culinary
expertise and facilitating trips to culinary events
all over the world.
Internationally
acclaimed and locally loved &endash; the Cape
Gourmet Festival is an exceptional eating drinking
shopping, looking, learning and laughing experience
that caters for everyone's taste.
MORE DETAILS ON
THE TASTY FESTIVAL EVENTS MENU:
GOOD FOOD &
WINE SHOW: 22-25 MAY
Cape Town's Good
Hope Centre is transformed into a gastronomic hub
of a multitude of foods, exciting exhibitions,
innovative workshop interactions and irresistible
bargains when the Festival's highlight event
&endash; the 6th Good Food and Wine Show &endash;
opens its doors as Africa's largest food and
beverage expo from 22-25 May.
Come and share in
the hottest cooking tips and savvy secrets when the
elite cast of South African and international chefs
cook up a storm in the Chefs in Action Theatre or
pep up your cooking skills under their watchful
eyes at an interactive Hands-on Workshop of your
choice.
Discover a brand
new World of Wine, Beer, Ale and Spirits and take a
seat in the world-class Good Taste Wine Theater,
were celebrated connoisseur and founder of the
London International Wine Awards, Robert Joseph,
takes centre stage with his entertaining wine
presentations. This foremost wine expert and
publishing editor of UK Wine Magazine also chairs
the all new SWISS International Air Lines Wine
Awards, to honour the best wines at the Show. It's
here where the spotlight will fall on smaller and
lesser-known wine estates!
For workshop
bookings contact the Gourmet Festival: Tel: (021)
465 0069. more…
FLEUR DU CAP
RESTAURANT WEEK: 9-24 MAY
A handpicked
selection of Cape Town's finest restaurants offers
delicious two-course menus and superb Fleur du Cap
wines at very reasonable prices from 9-24 May. The
marriage of good food and wine and the upliftment
of quality standards of wine waiters lie at the
heart of this tasty fortnight and staff at
participating restaurants will be educated on the
selection and serving of wine prior to the event.
All mineral water will be sponsored by L'Aubade -
pure mountain water bottled by the Franschhoek
Water Company.
CONNOISSEUR
CELEBRITY CHEF DINNERS: 19-24 MAY Enjoy
unparalleled gourmet dining as top international
guest chefs create their magical masterpieces in
collaboration with executive chefs at leading Cape
Town hotels.
Boston chef Ken
Oringer teams up with Richard Makinson of the Table
Bay Hotel to treat fine dining connoisseurs to the
ultimate sophisticated dining experience in the
hotel's landmark restaurant, The Atlantic, from
19-21 May.
The spicy Indian
chefs will be flown in from the land of herbs and
spices to join Executive Chef Craig Elliot at the
Cullinan Hotel for an authentic Indian buffet in
the Peach Tree restaurant from 19-24
May.
HIGH TEA AT THE
TABLE BAY: 19-24 MAY
Tuck into a sublime selection of afternoon
treats, made to perfection by top-class Boston
pastry chef Alex Stupak, in the luxurious lounge of
The Table Bay Hotel from 19-24 May.
TASTIC TABLE OF
UNITY: SUNDAY - 18 MAY
Join celebrities
and fellow South Africans for an awe-inspiring
gourmet luncheon in a marquee on the slopes of
Table Mountain in aid of Red Cross Children's
Hospital on Sunday, 18 May. This year, funds and
hearts will go out to the hospitals Trauma Unit. A
unity loaf, baked by the Amy Biehl Foundation, will
take pride of place down the entire length of the
table, symbolising peace in the Rainbow
Nation.
GRAND OPENING
CEREMONY: SUNDAY - 11 MAY
The Festival kicks
off with a homegrown celebration to embrace our own
cultural cuisine in the heart of Cape Town on
Mother's Day, Sunday, 12 May. It's an outdoor
fiesta with plenty of mouthwatering eateries, a
local arts and crafts market as well as a colourful
platform for the city's traditional and
contemporary music.
GRANDE FINALE GALA
BANQUET: 23 MAY
The Festival pulls out all the stops with a
glamorous Grande Finale Gala Banquet at the Table
Bay Hotel on 23 May. This sophisticated black-tie
affair pampers guests to a spectacular
intercontinental 4-course banquet. Each visiting
master chef, supported by the Table Bay team, will
create a signature dish for the evening which
culminates in a charity auction with sensational
items going under the hammer in aid of Red Cross
Children's Hospital.
For more
information on the Cape Gourmet Festival happening
from 9-25 May in Cape Town, contact the Gourmet
Festival offices at Tel: (021) 465 0069,
Fax: (021) 461
0294 or visit the Festival website at
www.gourmetsa.com.
Issued by:Gudrun
Clark Communications
On behalf of: Cape Gourmet Festival
P O Box 27203
Rhine Road 8050, Suite 81
Roeland Square Cape Town 8001
Contact: Leanne LootsTel:
(021) 4620520; Fax: (021) 4620526
Contact: Christine Cashmore
Tel: (021) 4650069; Fax: (021) 4610294
Photos
at top of page and below by Sellwynn Davidowitz,
Cape Town
|
