Good Food & Wine Show Wows Cape Town
Bigger, better and bursting with energy, the fresh, new Good Food & Wine Show treated Capetonians to all the ingredients that make it the premier culinary event on the African continent. The crowds were wowed by the revamped show and took to social media to express their approval. On Facebook, one fan said: “What an incredible experience I had at the Good Food & Wine Show. Way better than previous years. May it grow bigger and better!” Another echoed this by posting: “Good event will definitely be back next year. Too much to see and too little time to see everything.” The show trended on Twitter with tweeps saying: “What a fantastic event! Not too crowded, very friendly exhibitors and great products. Worth going!” and “Thanks organisers – great show – bring on 2017!”
Bringing local and international flavour to the show, held from 27 – 29 May at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, were kitchen icons George Calombaris, Adriano Zumbo, Jenny Morris, J’Something, Sarah Graham and Siba Mtongana. Visitors got the chance to see, cook with and sample dishes made by these star chefs at the various theatres – almost all of which were free of charge for the very first time to give more people more opportunities to see their favourite chefs in action.
On his first South African Good Food & Wine Show experience Calombaris said: “This has been an amazing experience. I have loved sharing recipes from my new cookbook and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and mingling with MasterChef fans. Cape Town is such a beautiful place and I can’t wait to come back!”
Enjoying his second time on the show was Mi Casa frontman and wannabe chef J’Something. He shared: “It is on a whole other level. I love the openness of it all. I think that the crowd was amazing and that all the food and goodies that were showcased were really phenomenal. Well done to everybody behind the scenes. Thank you for celebrating something that is enjoyed all over the world…good food.”
With this being Morris’ 17th year on the show, she was blown away by its new look and feel. She stated: “It’s fresh, it’s beautiful and it’s vibrating. People are loving the show, the openness and the vibe. What makes me feel so proud and happy is that a new family has taken over the show and has heard the voices of the people and what they want. In fact I overheard a couple speaking about the show saying that it should be called the great food and wine show!”
Highlights of the show included a Sensorium which captured the scents of Cape Town from Kalk Bay’s fish and chips to Cape Malay masala; the House and Leisure Sound Garden featuring design elements from different local food cultures paired with sound bites; a life-sized rhino cake created to raise awareness around rhino conservation and to help fund the Rhinos in Africa Foundation; as well as the Wine Wall where wine lovers got to see and smell some of the best South African and international wines.
For the first time in the show’s entire history, a curator, Hannerie Visser, was appointed to oversee all the festivities and make sure that a memorable event was enjoyed by all. She set this year’s show apart from previous editions through installations that excited all of the senses and by enabling visitors to interact with and immerse themselves completely in the event. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive. A highlight was seeing a tweet by journalist saying that there is something for everyone at the show and that’s what we set out to achieve.”
The show featured over 180 exhibitors with wares ranging from dim sum to droë wors and Sauvignon Blanc to Shiraz. Awards were given to those whose stands stood out from the crowd. The winner of the best custom design stand was India Tourism. Taking home the prize for best shell scheme stand was Moro Gelato, best newcomer went to Jean Pierre Fortain and winning the award for most innovative stand was Flora, with StreetSmart SA receiving a special mention.
Exhibitor and sponsor, Albany, were pleased to promote their products to such a large number of people with Nhlanhla Kubheka stating: “Now a lot of people know more about Albany. We are very happy about the way things went with our stand as well as with the Baking Theatre. Big ups to the Good Food & Wine Show organisers!”
Olav Ruecker of Core Catering Supplies, another exhibitor and sponsor, added: “It was a fantastic, very busy show with lovely people and lots of money being spent – great, great, great!”
“The Good Food & Wine Show, with its new look and feel, was the most innovative, entertaining and interactive in its 17 year history, setting the tone for the remainder of this year’s shows as well as those of years to come,” says Maria Chieppa, Managing Director of Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa, new owners of the show.
Jo’burgers will be next in line to treat their taste-buds at the TicketPro Dome from Friday, 29 to Sunday, 31 July 2016, followed by Durbanites who will be given the chance to dig in from Friday, 28 to Sunday, 30 October at the Durban Exhibition Centre. With the Cape Town show being an enormous success, make sure you stop by and see what’s on offer for yourself!
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