It’s going to be a MasterChef celebration at this year’s Good Food & Wine Show in Durban with MasterChef South Africa winner Kamini Pather in action with fellow show contestants Siphokazi Mdlankomo and Claire Allen.

They join celebrated MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris and will help South Africa’s premiere food show create its own MasterChef magic.

Pather, who grew up in Durban and learnt her love of food there, says winning MasterChef SA in 2013 changed her life. “It certainly boosted my cooking career and I realised that anything is possible. However, my passion for food and cooking started long before that with little things like sitting on my grandmother’s porch while she chewed on orange peels, or licking the batter spoon while perched on my mom’s kitchen counter as she made cakes. Since winning MasterChef I’ve starred in my own show Girl Eat World. It is now broadcast on Food Network in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, India, South East Asia and the Philippines and on SABC 3 and Netflix.”

Pather will be in action in the Chefs Open Theatre and Eat Well, Live Well Theatre (for the first time entrance is free and it is included in the ticket price). She will also be Cooking with Chefs.

Mdlankomo was the runner-up in MasterChef SA in 2014 and has since then created a live performance show, Short Chef Skinny Chet with fellow contestant Claire Allen. She’s the star of a new show, Let’s Eat with Siphokazi, currently on Mzansi Magic, and this year published her first cookery book The Little Black Recipe Book.

“Audiences can expect simple but delicious food demonstrations that are not intimidating. Anyone can make the dishes in their own home while learning new techniques. I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

She will be in the Chef’s Open Theatre while also appearing in Short Chef Skinny Chef with Claire Allen. Entrance to both is free.

Allen is also delighted to be back: “Siphokazi and I will host 25 Short Chef Skinny Chef demos over the weekend in the interactive cooking theatre and have more than R30 000 worth of prizes to give away. The Good Food & Wine Show provides a platform for local chefs, which is so important, as well as local producers to sell and grow their brand to a direct market. Most importantly visitors are exposed to incredible food and wine – it’s not called the Good Food and Wine Show for nothing!”

Says Calombaris – who will once again keep viewers glued to the screen when the highly anticipated eighth season of MasterChef Australia returns to M-Net on October 10: “I am thrilled to be coming to Durban. There are going to be a few little surprises during the demonstrations and I am going to ‘play’ with people’s senses. It’s also an opportunity for people to come and meet me and get a good idea of who I am and why food has played such a major part in my life.”

They join the stellar line-up who has already been announced including Siba Mtongana, Jenny Morris, Sarah Graham, Neill Anthony and J’Something.

MEET THE CHEFS & THOSE TAKING PART AT THE DURBAN GOOD FOOD & WINE SHOW 2016

CLAIRE ALLEN
Short Chef, Skinny Chef Theatre
An entrepreneur by the age of 17 and a successful business owner at 28, Claire Allen is the definition of a self-starter. Cape Town based Claire was born to a family of cooks in Dundee in KZN, where her passion for food was nurtured from a very young age. Claire entered MasterChef South Africa in 2014, and was blown away by the experience. She has since spent the time travelling the world, growing her palate while learning new recipes, and cooking techniques. Last year she launched Short Chef Skinny Chef with Siphokazi Mdlankomo.

GEORGE CALOMBARIS
Chefs Open Theatre/Chefs Table
One of Australia’s top chefs, George Calombaris’ style of cuisine has earned him many accolades and much respect from culinary aficionados at home and abroad. His Greek heritage was central in his upbringing; indeed it’s his trademark today. With many accolades to his name and a string of restaurants, Calombaris is also known for his cook books, his contribution as a judge on MasterChef Australia and his entrepreneurial skills.

JENNY MORRIS
Chefs Open Theatre /Cooking with Chefs/Wine Theatre
Jenny Morris – aka the Giggling Gourmet – is one of SA’s most-loved food personalities. She is an author, magazine writer, radio and TV presenter, celebrity chef, teacher, caterer, restaurateur and culinary tour guide who has had an ongoing love affair with food since she was a child. Not only has she conquered radio but Jenny has made several television appearances both locally and internationally. Her first show for the Food Network was Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco. It was the first occasion that a South African chef fronted their own show on the channel. She opened her own restaurant, Yumcious, in Cape Town last year.

J’SOMETHING
Chefs Open Theatre /Cooking with Chefs
Portugal-born Joao Da Fonseca is better known as J’Something, the lead singer of South African band Mi Casa. But he’s also a passionate cook and in 2014 showcased his love of food with the13-part series Something’s Cooking on Mzansi Magic which went on to reach over two million viewers. His follow-up series What’s For Dinner on SABC 3 reached 10 million viewers. When he’s not collaborating with chefs to demonstrate his cooking skills and love for soulful food, J’Something can be found working on his first cookbook or co-hosting a radio show.

KAMINI PATHER
Chefs Open Theatre /Cooking with Chefs/Eat Well, Live Well Theatre
Kamini (pronounced like harmony with a ‘K’) won the title of MasterChef SA in 2013 and has since been living her food dream. She is an ad-hoc guest presenter on Cliff Central, she’s hosted a bi-weekly food segment on GoodHopeFM, as well as a weekly segment on Heart FM, and she’s demo’ed in the Celebrity Chef’s Theatre at the Good Food and Wine Shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town. In 2015, Kamini’s highly anticipated food-travel show Girl Eat World debuted on Food Network EMEA and, after a successful run, the show also aired on SABC 3 and Netflix US.

NEILL ANTHONY
Chefs Open Theatre /Cooking with Chefs and Chefs Table
Cape Town-based private chef Neill Anthony, who trained in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing and other big international cooking greats, gets invited to cook in the homes of prestigious clients, socialite friends and fun-loving acquaintances transforming their dining experiences into exclusive and private dinner extravaganzas. Partnering with local TV producers Okhule Media has been the foundation of his TV journey. His 13-part Food Network TV series Private Chef, broadcast locally and internationally, has been the launch pad for his international exposure.

SARAH GRAHAM
Chefs Open Theatre/Eat Well Live Well
Sarah is a well-known cook, food writer and TV show host. She grew up on a small wildlife conservancy in Zimbabwe and this instilled in her a food philosophy built on creating simple, healthy dishes. Sarah started her food blog, A Foodie Lives Here in May 2010, and later that year was the first local food blogger to be awarded a cook book contract by Penguin Random House. Sarah has filmed two cooking shows that have aired locally and internationally. She is currently writing her fourth cook book and planning another season of her TV series Food Safari.

SIBA MTONGANA
Chefs Open Theatre/ Chef’s Table
Siba Mtongana is a passionate and dynamic food enthusiast who brought style and charisma to South Africa television food scene. She is well known for her show Siba’s Table on DStv’s Food Network, which debuted in September 2013 and was an instant hit worldwide. It is now broadcast in more than 130 countries in across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the US, Australia and Asia. She’s an award-winning food writer, an author, and has a degree in Food and Consumer Sciences, with majors in Food, Food Science and Nutrition.

SIPHOKAZI MDLANKOMO
Short Chef, Skinny Chef Theatre/Chefs Open Theatre
Siphokazi Mdlankomo captured the hearts of South Africans as she cooked her way to the final of the third season of MasterChef South Africa. Growing up near Umtata her mother and grandmother taught her everything about cooking. She reflects on her MasterChef journey: “I learnt a lot on the show, from patience to creativity and respecting the ingredients I use in my cooking. I also realised I have talent and that I have lot of fun in front of the camera – and would love to work as an on camera chef teaching others how to cook. Last year she launched Short Chef Skinny Chef with Claire Allen.

THE GOOD FOOD & WINE SHOW DURBAN

Dates: Friday October 28 to Sunday, October 30.
Venue: Durban Exhibition Centre, 11 Walnut Road, Durban
Hours: Friday, October 28, and Saturday, October 29, 10:00-21:00; Sunday, October 30, 10:00-18:00

Ticket Prices:
Early bird: R85
Adults: R100 at the door
Students: R70
Age 13-18: R50
Children under 12: Free
Senior citizens: R70. Free entry on Friday, October 28.
Weekend pass: R150
International chef table: R800
Local chef table: R300

Wine Tasting Prices:
Wine Combo Ticket: R130 (Includes show entry, wine tasting glass and five wine tasting vouchers)
Wine Glass and tasting: R 50 (Includes GFWS glass to keep and five tasting vouchers)

Tickets:
Available through Computicket (www.computicket.com) or at the door.

The Good Food & Wine Show is bought to Durban by the following sponsors: Durban Tourism, SABC3, Core, Rolkem, Clover, Qantas, Taurus and Total Gaz

Go to:
www.goodfoodandwineshow.co.za
@goodfoodSA
@Good Food and Wine Show SA