South Africa's favourite eateries acknowledged at 2017 Coca-Cola Food Festival

The Johannesburg event will be held on Saturday, 2 September at the James and Ethel Gray Park, and will represent regional finalists from the Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and the North West.

Entertainment will include performances from Micasa and appearances from celebrity chef Zola Nene, DJ Slique and comedian Mpho Popps throughout the day. There will be a special Kiddie Zone for young visitors.

Tickets to the semi-final events are available from Computicket at R100 per person. A 50% discount applies for pensioners and entry for children under 12 is free.

Semi-finalists will be selected according to three categories defined as ‘on the go’ meals which can be eaten off the premises, ‘traditional’ plated meals eaten while seated at the premises, and ‘gourmet’ which is defined as speciality cuisine dishes. A second semi-final will have been held in Durban on Saturday, 19 August for entrants from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

The winner in each category from the Durban and Johannesburg semi-finals will compete in the finals in Johannesburg on 21 September (venue to be announced at a later date).

Judges:

The judging panel includes popular television chef and cookbook author Zola Nene, chef, restaurateur and caterer Arnold Tanzer and the South African Chef’s Association.

Prizes

The 12 finalists representing the top three meal categories selected in Durban and Johannesburg, will each receive R22 500. The finalist in each category will receive R150 000. 60% of this amount will be paid in cash and a further 40% will be used to upgrade the eatery. Voters can also win their share of R140 000, which includes random draws for R5 - R10 airtime and daily cash as well as cookware to the value of R35 000.

Up to 4 000 eateries registered to participate in the 2017 competition.  For the full list of participating eateries, visit the ccbsafoodfestival.co.za