SEPTEMBER highlights

Like pretty much all of this year ,September has proved to be an exciting and eventful month. Each month brings so much excitement and new opportunities , that often I am left rather pleasantly surprised.Durban welcomed Spring in all its glory but we did skip ahead and Mother Nature gave us a taste of Summer.

I decided to round up my highlights of yet another month 🙂

1)COOKIE SWAP , am sure you all are aware of this amazing event I was asked to host last month.Alot of time was spent emailing and getting sponsors and getting the event ready.

2)The lovely Yasantha Naidoo a Sunday Times social reporter contacted me before Cookie Swap and asked if she could cover the event.Instantly I said YES and this lead to another highlight of me featuring in the Sunday Times and been called a “social media fundi”And yes mum got several phone calls and bought a few extra copies of the paper.

3)I attended the Eastern Bridal Fair which was amazing on so many levels. Check out an earlier post.AND YES I want to get married.

4)In JULY I was mentioned in a tweet that @RevlonSA put out about a Durban Cosmo Cover Girl event and within two minutes Maheshree and I booked the event. The event was a sold out event with limited numbers.To my surprise I was invited to attend by Revlon at the start of the month as their guest.Wohoo I was super excited and sold my paid for ticket to my friend Megan who really wanted to attend.It was such a day of glamour and fun.

5)VIVID LUXURY , this amazing PR company based in CAPE TOWN and JHB contacted me via Spicegoddess to ask if I could do a post on their Durban event of PINOTAGE ON TAP. I was gobsmacked that my humble blog was approached by such an amazing company.

6)As a Hindu , September signifies the start of our month long fast.During this month we abstain from eating all forms of meat and no alcohol.Its a very religious month of prayer.

7)I had my first radio interview.At the GFWS I met Avashnee Vandiar is popular and much loved Radio personality from a local Indian station.I recieved an SMS from her three weeks ago asking if she could call me later that evening for an interview. I was taken aback but said yes and we settled on a time. When Avashnee called it was like chatting to an old friend BUT I was super nervous.The interview was about my POUT movement and my role as an Ambassador.The pre recorded interview was aired this week and I will post the podcast link soon.

8)My lovely Twitter friend @irinadoman who I have never met with and only communicated with on Twitter, visited her parents in Russia and sent my a bag of Russian goodies including chocolate, tea and a snow globe of the Kremlin.

So as you can see SEPTEMBER was rather eventful 🙂 but I am loving it.Heres to the rest of the year been just as amazing .

ciao
xxx

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TEN MINUTES with me …..

hey there readers of my lovely blog, off late I have not been blogging so much.The reason is that The Magnifying Glass has been taking up alot of my time… if you havent checked it out go on do it http://themagnifyingglass.co.za

I promise my readers I will be back with more post soon.I decided to do a quick ten question interview with myself for this post….

1) What are you reading ?
A million miles from Normal by Paige Nick.

2)Highlight of my week ?
Ms Cupcake tweeting me 🙂

3)Excited ……
For the GFWS

4)WORRIED…
About my students as the campus has been on strike for almost two weeks.

5) Looking forward….
To the weekend as my amazing cousins @karmaniThatsMe and @mynameiswhelan will be down on Durban and I finally get to meet @sue_levy in person.

6) Love is….
My gorgeous puppy Zara

7) Drinking…….
VANILLA TEA

8) Wearing ……
my snoopy pjs

9) Craving ……
Sushi

10) Dreaming……
Of jumping on a plane and flying to Fiji

Have an amazing day 🙂
ciao
xxx

BRITISH CHEFS AT GFWS 2013

I just had to share these tidbits of information on the Chefs who will be at GFWS 2013 in DURBAN

James Martin has made a great impact since he began to appear on television in 1996 and has rarely been off screen since. He presents BBC1’s hugely successful Saturday Kitchen; regularly attracting viewers in excess of 3.5 million. It is one of the UK’s most popular weekend shows.
He was a regular team member on Ready Steady Cook and gained a whole new army of fans with his prowess on the dance floor in Strictly Come Dancing where he reached the semi-finals.
James also runs restaurant The Leeds Kitchen. The aptly named restaurant offers best of British food with a twist, created by James and his restaurant team.
James has authored numerous publications including: Masterclass, Great British Dinners, My Kitchen and Saturday Kitchen Best Bites and continues to make regular appearances around the world attracting vast crowds for his demos. He has written numerous best-selling cookbooks including his latest Slow Cooking.

MS CUPCAKE

Mellissa Morgan, aka Ms Cupcake, is a vegan baker and chef who prides herself on her ability to transform basic ingredients into vegetarian and vegan masterpieces. Originally from Canada and now based in the UK, she describes her baking as classic North American with a British flavour twist. All of her unique recipes contain absolutely no animal products so are entirely vegan. Mellissa began baking from home when she couldn’t find indulgent bakery goods for vegans in London. She soon realised that it wasn’t just vegans she could cater for, but also those with food allergies or religious dietary requirements. She began to develop gluten free, soya free and even sugar free cakes, and after opening London’s first entirely vegan retail bakery in April 2011, she was named the Baking Industry Awards Rising Star of 2011.
Mellissa first appeared as an amateur on ITV’s Britain’s Best Dish and has since made appearances on Islam TV and Sky News. Her latest TV appearance as a contestant on the ITV show Britain’s Best Bakery won her a whole new set of fans, following praise from the judges for her fantastic tasting vegan cupcakes. Mellissa has completed the first Ms Cupcake baking book, to be published in May 2013 by Random House.

ANJALI PATHAK

Anjali Pathak is the new face of the family which, thanks to her grandfather, took Indian curries to supermarket shelves around the world. She is the culinary expert and brand ambassador for the Patak’s brand.
Being part of such a well recognised family, Anjali has always been determined to make a name for herself in her own right and is a respected chef and has also been shortlisted for a number of awards including Asian Women of Achievement Awards and First Women Awards for her work with Indian food and flavours. Anjali loves all aspects of food and so has also explored her field further by gaining qualifications in Diet & Nutrition.
The co-author of an award-winning cookbook and a member of the Guild of Food Writers, Anjali is also a popular blogger and an ambassador for the British Asian Trust. She continues to go from strength to strength, regularly appearing on television and appears in leading lifestyle and food magazines around the world.

VIVEK SINGH

Vivek Singh spurned family expectations to follow his father’s footsteps and become an engineer and surprised them instead by announcing his intentions of becoming a chef.
After graduating, he joined the Oberoi Hotel Group as a specialist in Indian cuisine. He was fast-tracked to become the Indian chef of the Oberoi’s flagship Rajvilas in Jaipur – at the age of 26. Rajvilas was voted the most luxurious hotel in the world by Tatler in 2001.
Vivek was recruited by The Cinnamon Club in Westminster as executive chef for the launch in 2001. Since first opening its doors, The Cinnamon Club has been redefining expectations of Indian cooking and has crafted a brilliant marriage between Indian flavours and spicing and western culinary styles.
Vivek’s award-winning food has established The Cinnamon Club as probably the most famous Indian restaurant in the world. Vivek is widely believed to be one of the most articulate Indian chefs of his generation.
In November 2008, Vivek opened the Cinnamon Kitchen, a new concept from The Cinnamon Club team.
Vivek is also involved in The Anise Bar, which is at the same location as Cinnamon Kitchen. Cinnamon Soho, Vivek’s newest restaurant opened in March 2012.
Books include The Cinnamon Club, Cinnamon Club Seafood, CURRY! and
Curry, Classic and Contemporary and his latest Cinnamon Kitchen.

I hope all Durban foodies attend this event and understand why I am so excited yet again especially with this British trio 🙂
Bon Appetite
xxx

GFWS DURBAN 2013

In a weeks time this delicious event is on its way to Durban. All foodies like myself mark out all food events as they are so few we have in Durban and its about the only time we get to meet other Food Bloggers.

This year we have the likes of the gorgeous British chef James Martin , Ms Cupcake who is well known for her famous vegan cupcakes and Anjali Pathak from the Pathak family of spices. As an ardent foodie lover and my addiction to the UK this trio make me so happy.

On the local front we have Jenny Morris who is so amazing and inspiring , I met her last year at the show and fell in love with her passion for food and life, Deena Naidoo the winner of the first season of MCSA and the lovely Chef Benny Masekwameng .Hopefully I get to meet this awesome chefs .

I love the fact that the GFWS showcases new proudly South AFRICAN products and that the public get to sample them and get special show discounts on the prices.

As always there are show attractions:

• Brilliant Baking Theatre
Baking is gaining world-wide popularity and this theatre is devoted to all things sweet, baked and tempting. This interactive theatre – headlined by Ms Cupcake – features baking workshops, recipe and technique demonstrations. There will be opportunities for visitors to ask the experts all the dos and don’ts of baking.
• Celebrity Chefs Theatre
One of our most popular theatres, the Celebrity Chefs Theatre is where our local and international celebrity chefs will be whipping up their signature recipes and demonstrating delicious recipes which visitors can recreate at home. Catch James Martin, Ms Cupcake, Anjali Pathak, Vivek Singh, Jennis Morris, Benny Masekwameng and Deena Naidoo.
• Creative Coffee Theatre
The Durban Good Food and Wine Show plays host to the SCASA Coffee Competitions’ KZN Barista Championship Regionals at a dedicated Creative Coffee Theatre. This is an interactive hands-on workshop zone where visitors and trade can learn from professional baristas how to create speciality coffees, create latte art and make the perfect cuppa. Find out who are Kwa-Zulu Natal’s best baristas at the Regional Barista Championships.
• Durban Bites
Featuring some of the city’s top restaurants and restaurateurs courtesy of Durban Tourism.
• MasterCurry Competition
Amateur cooks have been invited to submit their favourite tried and tested curry recipe. Thirty-two participants will be cooking off at the show with the finals taking place on Sunday, August 11. The overall winner receives a trip of a lifetime: A five-day luxury holiday for two, sponsored by Incredible India, to the culinary mecca of India. The winner will also experience the majestic Taj Mahal, Jaipur’s glittering bazaars and ancient palaces and temples.
• Outdoor Good Food & Wine Bar
The Outdoor Good Food & Wine Bar takes centrestage in the outdoor arena at the Good Food & Wine Show. Sip on your favourite cocktail; enjoy an iced cold beer or take in the sunshine with a glass of your favorite wine or a bottle of bubbles – we have it all for you in this zone, which is surrounded by Durban’s favourite restaurants serving mouth-watering samples of their signature dishes – it’s a highlight of the Good Food & Wine Show and open until way after sunset.
• Rhodes Sishebo Theatre
In the heart of the Cultural Quarter of the Durban Good Food & Wine Show is the Sishebo Theatre. It is here that we keep the pot boiling with mouth-watering demonstrations by leading chefs from well-known township and local cultural restaurants, famous for their delicious stews, using the full array of traditional canned Rhodes products as essential ingredients to make the perfect “sishebo.”
• Spekko Spice Table
Visitors to the show will be able to enjoy the sharing, preparing and tasting of cultural foods, either traditional or contemporary. The setting is intimate and the audience will sit in a home-style kitchen and enjoy the hospitality of the Spice Table hosts who will interview well-known community celebrities who have a common passion for food and storytelling. Spice Table comes to life with wonderful anecdotes and delicious food and is authentic, down to earth and welcoming.
• Woolworths Little Chefs Kitchen
Sponsored by Woolworths, there will be hands-on workshops for children aged 4-7 and 8-12. Chef Barry Farnan is in charge of the theatre which will get youngsters to pick their own vegetables from a vegetable garden built especially for the show. Young cooks will find out where ingredients come from and learn to cook in a series of fun yet informative classes including how to make hamburgers, one-pan pasta and fruity pancakes. Tickets will be sold at the door.
• Woolworths Real Food Theatre
The future of a healthy nation is to encourage people to eat nourishing food, to respect what comes from Mother Earth and to understand the role of sustainable food. These important elements form the core of Woolworths Real Food Theatre which is one of the innovative and exciting new interactive theatres at this year’s Durban Good Food & Wine Show. The Real Food Theatre will have hands on cooking workshops with a focus on natural sustainable ingredients. It will host visiting celebrity chefs Anjali Pathak, Ms Cupcake and Jenny Morris alongside Durban’s top chefs who will be sharing their food philosophies with visitors. They include Graham Neilson of 9th Avenue Bistro; Marcelle Roberts of Café 1999; Brandon Louwrens of The Grill Jichana at the Southern Sun Elangeni and Maharani Hotel and the first winner of MasterChef South Africa Deena Naidoo.

So if you had no plans to go I suggest you do !

DETAILS :

• Good Food & Wine Show Durban August 8 to 11- Durban Exhibition Centre
Tickets cost R75 for adults for R40 for children. This includes more free theatres than ever before. Visitors can download discount coupons for great savings on the Good Food & Wine Show website http://www.goodfoodandwineshow.co.za