The premise is quite simple: Cape Town's finest chefs line up to showcase their culinary prowess with their signature dishes. All you have to do is hop from one to the other, sample the best cuisine the city has to offer, while sipping on superb wines and cocktails. There are plenty of interactive food and liquor classes to attend and foodie folk to meet and greet.
The festival showcases 14 of Cape Town's top restaurants and chefs, who have been tasked to serve the signature dishes that have made them famous.
• Azure Restaurant at the 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa - executive chef Henrico Grobbelaar
• Bistro Sixteen82 - executive chef Brad Ball
• II Leone Mastrantonio - Daniel Toledo
• Fyndraai Restaurant - Shaun Schoeman
• La Colombe - head chef Scot Kirton
• Makaron at Majeka House - head chef Tanja Kruger
• Planet Bar & Restaurant - executive chef Rudi Liebenberg
• Signal Restaurant at Cape Grace -executive chef Malika van Reenen
• Sofia's @Morgenster & Overture - chef/patron Craig Cormack and chef/patron Bertus Basson
• Taj Cape Town - executive chef Shyam Longani
• Savour Restaurant at 15 on Orange Hotel - executive chef Sanel Esterhuyse
• 96 Winery Road - executive chef Natasha Wray
• The Westin Executive Club Restaurant - executive Chef Johann Breedt
• Taste Pop Up Restaurant - featuring guest chefs the likes of Luke Dale Roberts - The Pot Luck Club, George Jardine - Jordan, Richard Carstens -Tokara Restaurant
The Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef's Theatre will again host Cape Town's top chefs in fun and informative cooking demonstrations, culinary challenges, and entertaining tutorials. This year's will also see the return of the Pick n Pay Wine and Canapé Experience, an interactive, hands-on area where guests will create three simple, stylish, delicious canapés while an expert pairs each canapé with a wine to complement the flavours.
More foodie features include: The Westin Executive Club Restaurant, The Snowflake Pancake Feature and The Amazing Thailand Experience. And don't miss the DStv live Cook-Off in the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef's Theatre on Saturday, 21 April.
You can check out the Fine Brandy by Design by Distell, Jimmijagga, Jagermeister, Redds and San Pellegrino/Acqua Panna features, all of which will showcase the drinks that complete a meal - it's not just about quenching those "thirst buds", but also giving visitors the opportunity to mix and match flavours to get the best of every bite.
Celebrate Cape Town's local food heroes at The Small Producers Market where you will find hand-made cheeses, pestos, home-made jams and sweets, as well as exotic ingredients and herbs to inspire home chefs to create their own culinary masterpieces. Visit By Nature for dried fruit and nuts, Yummi Brownies for delicious chocolate brownies, or pick up a cupcake from Queen of Tarts.
Visitors are invited to take a walk through the Taste & Buy Experience and discover an array of gourmet food suppliers and try delicious wines as well as speciality food and ingredients to take home such as Olive Pride, Three Streams Smokehouse, Sally Williams and Schecktersorganic Energy.
For those visitors who crave a more exclusive experience, there's the Taste Club House presented by DStv, a private lounge that serves as your base for the show. The ticket price comes with fast-track entry, a complimentary premium bar facility, a free tasting glass and R200's worth of Festival Crowns (the official Festival currency).
For the little folk, there will be a KidzZone hosted by Party Tots on Saturday, 21 and Sunday, 22 April.
In addition to this, Taste 2012 is serving up a dose of Green Awareness, along with naming sponsors Pick n Pay and Orbit Sugar Free Chewing Gum, who both place great importance on environmental issues and actively promote and enforce sustainability in their core activities. TheTaste of Cape Town has also partnered green companies, such as Interwaste and Green Home, in order to ensure a more sustainable event.
To book, go to www.tastefestivalssa.co.za or www.itickets.co.za
