Meet the chefs at the new Good Food & Wine Show

“At this year’s Johannesburg Good Food & Wine Show, the curtain, which previously kept chefs cloistered from the majority of visitors due to the exclusionary prices of seeing them, has come down. Our chefs will be entertaining and interacting with audiences in a variety of ways at our nine theatres, seven of which offer entry at no extra cost,” says, Maria Chieppa, managing director of Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa – new owners of the show.

Cook with the chefs

Guests will have the opportunity to join George, Matt, Siba, Jenny, Sarah, J’Something, Neill, MasterChef South Africa contestant Claire Allen or Executive Chef at Carnival City Rylan Ramsay for a 45-minute-long cooking demo in the Chefs Open Theatre.

Furthermore, there will be 90-minute cooking demos in the Cooking with Chefs Theatre. Here, guests will gain tips on the signature dishes of International Hotel School’s David Goette, Sun International’s Cresan Ramjathan and the headline chefs. Each session accommodates 24 people selected on a first come, first served basis who will team up at the 12 cooking stations. After the sessions, you’ll eat what you’ve cooked and interact with the chef.

Spend between 90 and 120 minutes with George, Matt, Siba, Sarah and Jenny at the Chefs Table Theatre, where they'll give a masterclass, answer questions in a Q&A session and serve a sample of the dish they made. See George and Matt at a cost of R800 per person or Siba, Sarah and Jenny for R300 per person. With only 40 seats in the theatre, guests are encouraged to book early.

For the sweet tooth

Bakers will get the chance to learn from Ultimate Braai Master and MasterChef South Africa finalist Sherwyn Weaich, TV Personality Lorna Maseko and others in the Baking Theatre.

Guests will learn how to sculpt sugar to form flowers, figurines and cake toppers, decorate with sugar paste and make meringues and marshmallow fluff in the Cake Deco Lab.

Former MasterChef South Africa competitors Siphokazi Mdlankomo and Claire Allen will be presenting their uniquely South African food entertainment offering in the Short Chef Skinny Chef Theatre.

The Eat Well… Live Well Theatre is designed for health conscious foodies with chefs like Sarah and Sun City’s Sean Mann producing nutritious meals in the demos.

Wine tasting

The Wine Theatre will host a food and wine pairing programme featuring wine experts Lloyd Jusa, Gregory Mutambe and Zimkhitha Mashiyi. Guests are invited to stop by the innovative Wine Smell Wall installation too. Guests gain entry with their wine tasting card.

The SABC 3 Theatre will showcase various familiar TV personalities.

Little chefs will have the opportunity to cook at The Kids Corner. Parents can keep an eye on their children from the seating area just outside the theatre.

Tickets for the Good Food & Wine Show are on sale at TicketPro and will also be available at the door. For the latest theatre schedules, visit the Good Food & Wine Show website.