After a successful four-day event, the 2013 Durban Good Food & Wine Show has plenty of reasons for a celebratory toast. Record crowds turned up at the culinary and lifestyle show to enjoy the many attractions, especially in the Celebrity Chefs Theatre where chefs of the calibre of James Martin, Vivek Singh, Anjali Pathak, and Ms Cupcake conjured up some delicious dishes.

Here are just a few of the event highlights that are building up excitement for the Johannesburg show, taking place from 21 – 24 September 2013.

Ticket Giveaways

We were excited to give away 3 double tickets to this tasty event. Congratulations again to our winners, Wendy Theunisse, Zama Nhlangulela, and Vishal Ramsaran! We hope you had a wonderful time at the show.

MasterCurry Winner

As winner of the Spekko MasterCurry competition, Durban’s Tammy Selby won a fabulous trip to India. She cooked a delicious fish and prawn curry that impressed all 3 judges: Vivek Singh of the Cinnamon Club, spice guru Anjali Pathak, and sous chef of the Southern Sun, Elangeni Yoshan Naidu.

3-minute Ice-cream

Who knew it was possible to make ice-cream in less than 3 minutes – from start to plate!? James Martin, one of the world’s most popular celebrity chefs, amazed an enthusiastic audience when he did just that at one his masterful demonstrations.

Celebrity Chefs visit Clermont

The GFWS isn’t just about bringing good food to a select crowd. Every year celebrity chefs at the Durban show visit various townships, and this year was no different. Chef Vivek Singh of London’s The Cinnamon Club and Benny Masekwameng of MasterChef South Africa visited the Clermont Township where they shared their knowledge and gave locals a taste of their culinary skills.

Exhibitor Success

The GFWS has already seen many exhibitor success stories. Exhibitors from wine and tea merchants, to those selling sharp knives and tourist destinations like India, were delighted with the brisk business and many even sold out of stock. Riana Olivier, marketing manager of Bernheim Wines, ran out of stock twice and staff had to drive to Mooi River to get more. She exhibited in Cape Town and Durban and will be heading to Johannesburg in September.

One of the most popular exhibits at the show was the Inverroche Distillery which produces unique blends of gin. This family-owned business was “absolutely over-the-moon” in the interest their products had been generating. Sales manager, Mark McCarthy, said, “Word of our gin has even reached the UK and people are tweeting and SMSing us for product.”

Tea is a big draw card and a regular exhibitor is Tea Merchants, offering visitors 50 different flavours and tastes. Owner Phillip Tobiansky feels this year’s show offered more food than the previous year and people were enjoying the tea on offer. “The amount of interest in tastings has been amazing and on Friday we did 1 500 tastings.” He added that after the Cape Town show there was such a high interest in his teas that he opened a shop at the V&A Waterfront.

Stand Awards

The GFWS hands out stand awards to encourage its exhibitors to put in an effort when it comes to their stands, product, and service. The judges were Ginga magazine’s Jacqui Brown and Sean Rust; Trish Beaver from The Witness; Mhlengi Mafu of JournalismIzko; and designer Vida Herbert. Here is the list of winners:
• Most Interactive Stand: Rhodes Isishebo Theatre and Incredible India
• Most Innovative Stand: Woolworths Little Chefs’ Kitchen (mentions to Little Herb Garden and Willow Creek)
• Best Speciality: Wizbake, The Tea Merchant, and Romesco Olives
• Best Designer Stand: Sweet Temptations and Kenwood (mentions to Gloria Jean’s Coffees South Africa and Madeleines)
• Best Fine Wines, Beers and Spirits: The Standeaven Brewery (mentions to Ice Tropez and Inverroche Distillery)
• Sustainability Awards: Food and Trees for Africa (mentions to Miko/Fair Trade and Bradley Smoker)
• People’s Choice: Spekko MasterCurry

Whether you’re an exhibitor or one of the growing number of foodies looking for some culinary inspiration, the Good Food & Wine Show proves time and again why it is the tastiest date on the culinary calendar. Don’t miss the Johannesburg Good Food & Wine Show from 21 – 24 September 2013!

Did you visit the show? Let us know what you thought.