The Taste of Durban is back from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July at Suncoast. Chefs from a selection of Durban’s most popular restaurants will create special menus of starter-sized plates, including their signature dishes, designed to reflect their individual philosophies, whilst showcasing seasonal and premium ingredients. Taste of Durban 2015 is poised to be the most exciting ‘foodie’ event of the year.

Back for the second year running, Greedy Buddha, promises a delicious offering of south east Asian food, while former ‘Best on Show’ winner Amaravathi Palki, is sure to be a crowd pleaser once again. Former participant and one of Durban’s most recognised culinary talents, Jackie Cameron will be a welcome addition to the mix, showcasing her new venture, The Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine. New participants, Vicky Cristina’s & Boiler Room Café, bring a more casual element to the line-up, while Vigour & Verve and Café Vigour, courtesy of Tsogo Sun and Simply Asia, another regular, complete this year’s eclectic line-up.

A hit with visitors last year, The Durban eKasi Experience, features show newcomer, Hollywoodbets. Hugely popular with locals and winners of ‘The Bunny Chow Barometer’ Competition, they will be joined by Durban’s most established and popular Tavern in Durban, Max’s Lifestyle, who will be serving traditional eKasi style fare.

Over three days, this unique international restaurant festival will bring together Durban’s most dedicated and sophisticated foodies in an
al fresco, dining celebration. After three years, Taste of Durban has firmly established itself on the Durban culinary calendar.

Visitors will have the opportunity to sip, sample and shop their way around the festival. This year’s show offers a range of brand new features and culinary experiences, to ensure that there is something for everybody to enjoy.

“We are thrilled with the wide range of restaurants, features and suppliers we have participating in Taste of Durban this year,” says Event Director, Justine Drake. “The overwhelming success of last year’s event took us all by surprise, so we know the expectation for 2015 is at full throttle.”

‘Must-do’s’ include:
* Castle Milk Stout Experience – Castle Milk Stout will bring a taste experience to be savoured to Taste of Durban 2015. Chill out in the marquee and lounge area, complete with the ambient sounds and a tasting experience that shows the full credentials of the full and complex flavours of Milk Stout and its pairing with food.

* Robertsons Ultimate Burger Class
Become your family’s ultimate burger king or queen by learning how to create the best burgers at this year’s Taste of Durban, where Robertsons Herbs & Spices will be bringing in the foodie experts to reveal their secrets to creating the ultimate burger. From preparing the tastiest, juiciest meat patties to adding the perfect combination of spices, participants in the Robertsons Ultimate Burger Classes will take burger making to a new level as they work with meat experts and celebrity chefs to learn this tasty talent. The Spice People serve up this mouthwatering feature at the Taste of Durban, with meat expert Caroline McCann from Braeside Meats, local culinary expert Justin Bonello, and Robertsons Executive Chef Craig Elliott. But the excitement does not stop there, as one lucky Robertsons Ultimate Burger Class participant, could win Justin’s latest book, Road Tripping. You also get to walk away with a braai caddy filled with the latest Robertsons spices.

* Butcher’s Block with Two Oceans Wines – As a country of meat lovers, it’s always good to know your head from your tail. Make your way to the Butcher’s Block, where you will learn about the varieties of meat, the various cuts, how to buy, prepare and cook meat to perfection and where Two Oceans Wines will show you how and when to pair their wines with each cut.

* The Bacardi Mixology Theatre & Cocktail Lounge – Enter the exciting world of mixology and experience the magic of craft bartending. In the theatre, you will have the opportunity to learn how to craft your own Bacardi cocktails under the guidance of an expert Mixologist. The lounge offers a relaxing space with a DJ mixing great tunes while the bartenders do some mixing of their own.

* BP Wild Bean Café – Two millions cups of Wild Bean Café coffee are sold and enjoyed every year. BP Wild Bean Cafés use only 100% top-quality Arabic beans – sourced from Tanzania, Gautemala, El Salvador and Brazil – offering the best combination of sweetness, acidity and bitterness. At Taste of Durban, our Wild Bean Café Baristas will hand-make your favourite coffee, latte or hot chocolate to perk you up and keep you going!

Besides the amazing range of restaurants, suppliers from around the country are pulling out all the stops to make this show a feast of artisanal and locally produced product. Black Mamba Chili will have their fiery gourmet chili product range on offer, while visitors looking for something sweet will love Kupcake Heaven and the amazing creations from Daniela’s Deliciously Decadent and Sugarlicious. Meat lovers can look forward to a range of delicious cured meats from Begks Hungarian Smoked Food, as well as a juicy 100% Wagyu Beef Burger with rocket, red onion and a drizzle of black magic sauce from Woodview. For those on the Banting train, look out for Bizzibanting.

Bringing a taste of the Cape to our sub-tropical shores, some of the country’s best wineries will showcase their award-winning wines, and other big features include the Savannah Experience, Core Catering Supplies, The Big Green Egg and Durban Tourism.

For the Kids – Classy Party Planners will be providing great entertainment for the kids at the Saturday afternoon and Sunday sessions. Fun-filled child minding catering for all ages, including craft sessions like science and learning, sand art, colouring, painting, scratch cards, play dough and cupcake and biscuit decorating. The Kidz Zone will have slides, toddler castles, dartboards, mascots, face painting and much more. Cost is R30 per child.

Taste of Durban Festival CROWNS
Crowns can be purchased at the festival from the Taste Bank or Crown Sellers walking around the festival grounds. Visitors use Crowns to purchase sample dishes and drinks from the various exhibiting restaurants, bars and exhibitors. Each Crown is worth R5. Change is offered in Crowns only.

To book tickets: Visit ITickets on www.ticketpro.co.za

Media Enquiries: Joanne Hayes, Tumbleweed Communications
Cell: 083 6277249 e-mail: tigerjo@iafrica.com

TASTE OF DURBAN 2015 – FAST FACTS
What, Where, When, How…
Festival times:
– Friday 24 July: 18h00 – 22h00
– Saturday 25 July: 12h30 – 16h30; 18h00- 22h00
– Sunday 26 July: 12h30 – 17h30

Tickets:
Tickets are limited and booking is recommended – for further information and bookings visit www.ticketpro.co.za

– Standard Ticket – *R80 – Entrance to the festival including a glass
– Premium Ticket – *R180 – Entrance to the festival including a
tasting glass plus R100 worth of Crowns (the official currency)
Taste Clubhouse Ticket – R750 – Fast Track entry to the festival, a tasting glass, R150 Crowns, a private clubhouse to use as a base for the show with a complimentary bar service (wine, malt and soft drinks) plus a Taste of Durban Gift.