Food is increasingly becoming more than a reason to visit a destination. For travellers seeking deeper and more meaningful experiences, what is on the plate can provide a gateway into local culture, heritage, people and place.
Dr Marlene Roux and Janet Pillai. Image supplied
That idea is at the heart of Beyond the Plate, a new immersive culinary experience launched by travel and culinary storyteller Janet Pillai through Jetsetting with Janet.
The concept was unveiled at the International Hotel School (IHS) in Salt River, Cape Town, where an intimate media launch brought together guests and industry voices to explore the intersection of food, travel, culture and connection.
Rather than positioning dining as a standalone experience, Beyond the Plate aims to create journeys where food becomes the starting point for discovering the stories, people and places behind it.
Culinary tourism as a growth opportunity
At the launch, Pillai hosted a conversation titled “Why Beyond the Plate Matters: Culinary Tourism is the Future”, examining the growing role food plays in how travellers discover destinations.
For the hospitality and tourism sectors, the shift towards experiential travel presents an opportunity to develop offerings that extend beyond traditional sightseeing and dining.
Beyond the Plate combines food, culture, storytelling, wellness, travel and connection, with curated tours taking participants to the source of the food they experience. This includes farm-to-table journeys designed to give local and national tourists greater insight into producers, ingredients and culinary traditions.
The experiences are also complemented by annotated cooking experiences, creating an opportunity for travellers to move from simply tasting a destination to actively engaging with its food culture.
For Jetsetting with Janet, this approach reflects a broader change in consumer expectations, with travellers increasingly looking for experiences that feel authentic, participatory and connected to local communities.
From tasting table to cultural storytelling
The Cape Town launch brought the concept to life through The Tasting Table, featuring Lynn Naidoo and Peter Badenhorst, whose wine presentation demonstrated how food and drink can provide a platform for storytelling.
Guests were also introduced to The Marlene, a signature cocktail developed by Pillai as a tribute to the spirit of Dr Marlene Roux.
The afternoon was deliberately structured around conversation and connection as much as food and drink. Networking and cultural discussions gave guests an opportunity to share experiences and engage with others from across the industry.
That combination is central to the Beyond the Plate proposition: the meal is not necessarily the destination, but a catalyst for conversation, discovery and connection.
Creating experiences for a new generation of travellers
The launch also highlighted the potential for culinary tourism to create connections between hospitality businesses, producers, tourism operators, chefs, storytellers and consumers.
For emerging hospitality professionals, these evolving experiences can provide insight into how the industry is moving beyond traditional restaurant and hotel offerings towards more integrated experiences that combine multiple elements of the tourism value chain.
Hosting the launch at the International Hotel School also placed the concept within an educational environment, connecting current hospitality thinking with the next generation of industry professionals.
From farm to table – and beyond
Beyond the Plate's curated tours are being marketed to both local and national tourists, with the emphasis on taking participants closer to the source of the food and stories they encounter.
The model creates an opportunity to turn ingredients, producers and culinary traditions into tourism assets in their own right.
