MasterChef Australia and SA finalists at Good Food & Wine Show
Winner of MasterChef Australia 2014, Brent Owens, will be joined by fellow Aussie finalist, the quirky and tattooed Renae Smith, labelled the 'Mystery Box Queen' by Owens and her fellow Season 6 contestants. Also signed for the Durban Good Food & Wine Show is MasterChef South Africa 2014 winner Roxi Wardman, the leopard print-wearing former train driver assistant from Durban who recently opened her own Durban eatery.
Wardman makes a guest appearance in the Short Chef Skinny Chef theatre, launched by her former MasterChef South Africa competitors Siphokazi Mdlankomo and Claire Allen.
Fun, and interactive, this cooking performance will leave audiences full of laughs, learning interesting tips and techniques, pairings, cook's cheats and recipes they can make at home with ease. Aside from the dynamic duo of Mdlankomo and Allen, there will be guest appearances from fellow MasterChef South Africa Season 3 contestants including Wardman, Penny Fitchet and Ndumeso Mncwabe.
Allen said: "The idea for Short Chef Skinny Chef was born in Durban so it is fitting that we are launching the concept here. Sipho and I were roommates in Durban for the MCSA group challenge, we cooked off against each other, but Durban was where the idea for SCSC was born. I always knew we would work well together and I am so excited to be finally launching this project."
Cooking from the Cupboard
Since MasterChef Australia ended, like her South African counterparts, Renae Smith has also been busy on the culinary scene. She has worked closely with Barnardo's Australia and created the 'Cooking from the Cupboard' concept - whereby she teaches children to create healthy, cheap meals with whatever ingredients are in the cupboard - not dissimilar to mystery box challenges. At the Durban show, she will be hoping to inspire audiences, particularly youngsters, to embrace both cooking and the kitchen.
These new additions to the Good Food & Wine Show Durban line-up join big names that have already been announced, including the renowned Rick Stein; the Prince of Spice Reza Mahammad; the Giggling Gourmet Jenny Morris and the Curry Queen of Bling, Yudhika Sujanani.
Once again GF&WS is working with Durban Tourism to promote the city and all the wonderful attractions it has to offer on the food front.
Phillip Sithole, Head of Durban Tourism, said: "The Good Food & Wine Show has undoubtedly proven to be a vibrant platform to showcase Durban's unique and multicultural cuisine to an array of globally recognised chefs and food television networks. The city will again host a Township Cook-off with the celebrated chefs and our locals, sharing local flavours, authentic cuisine and imparting inspiring cooking techniques to our locals in a true township-style restaurant."
The Durban Good Food & Wine Show takes place from 30 October to 1 November at the Durban Exhibition Centre. There will be book signings with all the celebrity chefs at the show.