Nominations were received from the public earlier in the year and the qualifying nominees were judged by Anelde Greeff (editor-in-chief of Eat Out), Abigail Donnelly (editor of Eat Out and group food editor of Woolworths TASTE), Jackie Cameron (award-winning chef at Top 10 restaurant Hartford House), Deena Naidoo (winner of MasterChef SA 2012) and Vanessa Marx (award-winning chef at Dear Me). Nominees were assessed by a set of criteria per category, but overall aspects such as taste, presentation, innovation and care for the environment were taken into account to select the 23 winners.
An award for Best Local Food Blog was also presented. This category acknowledges the role that local bloggers play in celebrating and uplifting South Africa's food industry. Unlike the other awards, the winner of this award was decided by public vote.
Dè-Mari Kellerman, Global Marketing Manager for Zonnebloem wines, says, "Zonnebloem is proud to be associated with the Eat Out Produce Awards and recognises the craftsmanship that goes into creating winning produce. Congratulations to all the winners."
Best New Product- Sorbetiere sorbet
Best Small Producer: Baked Goods - Babylonstoren
Best Small Producer: Confectionery - Ooh La La
Best Small Producer: Dairy (Other) - Jenny's Clotted Cream
Best Small Producer: Dairy (Hard Cheese) - Chrissie's Country Cheeses AND Fynboshoek (tied)
Best Small Producer Dairy (Fresh Cheese) - Buffalo Ridge
Best Small Producer: Earth - Harvest of Hope
Best Small Producer: Grocery/Condiments - Quality Pickles
Best Small Producer: Paddock (Cured) - Woodview Wagyu Beef
Best Small Producer: Paddock (Fresh) - Greenfields Free Range Beef
Best Small Producer: Paddock (Poultry) - Dargle Ducks
Best Small Producer: Seafood - Wayfarer Trout
Innovation Award - Melfort
Best Free-Range/Organic Producer - Farmer Angus
Best Outlet: North - Cheese Gourmet (Johannesburg)
Best Outlet: South - Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants (Cape Town)
Best Outlet: East - Sprigs (Durban)
Best Market: North - Neighbourgoods Market (Johannesburg)
Best Market: South - Neighbourgoods Market (Cape Town)
Best Market: East - Heart Market (Durban)
South African Heritage Award - Oranjezicht City Farm
Best Local Food Blog - lifeisazoobiscuit.com by Anél Potgieter
Says awards judge and Eat Out Editor-in-chief Anelde Greeff: "The judges were blown away by the quality of produce nominated this year, and it was not easy to choose the overall winners. As a result, what we have is a group of outstanding small food producers that represent everything the awards stand for - and their wares are incredibly delicious too!"
Aileen Lamb, General Manager for Eat Out, concludes: "The success of past winners shows how the produce awards have made a difference to their lives and grown their businesses. We look forward to more of these positive results again this year."
For more information, visit www.eatout.co.za/awards.
For a full list of the winners click here www.eatout.co.za/award/2014-produce-awards/#producewinners. Visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EatOutmag for photographs of the event. Follow @Eat_Out on Twitter and use the hashtags #EatOutProduceAwards #WDC629.
