It’s go cooks go for the Good Food & Wine show
THE annual Good Food and Wine Show in Durban from August 8 to 11 will feature celebrity chefs Anjali Pathak and Vivek Singh.
POST is a media sponsor of the Spice Table at the show.
Dubbed the tastiest show on the South African foodie calendar, organisers have promised a bigger and better show and urged patrons to get their tickets now to avoid disappointment.
The show, which travels around the country, saw a sold out affair at the Cape Town Good Food & Wine Show in May and, according to organisers, doors had to be closed at stages due to crowd capacity.
Celebrity chefs appearing at the Durban show this year are TV personality James Martin, Vivek Singh, of London’s Cinnamon Club, Anjali Pathak, Indian cuisine chef and awardwinning vegan baker Mellissa Morgan, who is known as Ms Cupcake.
Anjali took Indian curries to supermarket shelves around the world and is currently the culinary expert and brand ambassador for the family-owned Pathak's brand.
Qualified in diet and nutrition, Pathank was nominated for numerous awards, including the Asian Women of Achievement Awards and First Women Awards for her work with Indian food and flavours.
Anjali said: “I have learnt most of what I know about Indian cooking from my family and professional Indian chefs across the world. I have travelled around in India trying to absorb the nuances of regional cuisines. For me this does not relate to Indian cuisine, but to cooking in general. That is why I chose to study at Leith’s School of Food and Wine in London. Some may ask why an Indian chef needs to learn British and French cooking. I love bridging the gap between traditional Indian and contemporary international cuisine.
She added: “Spices are some of the most exciting ingredients to work with and when you have mastered the basics, all you need to do is practise and find what you like best. In the end cooking is about having fun in the kitchen and trying not to lose control. I also like to show that Indian food is healthy and it is not only about rich sauces and curries. I am delighted to be coming to South Africa for the first time as it is something I have always wanted to do.”
Even though Vivek’s family initially wanted him to become an engineer, he went on to surprise them and become a chef.
After graduating, he joined the Oberoi Hotel Group as a specialist in Indian cuisine.
At the age of 26, Singh become the Indian chef of the Oberoi’s flagship Rajvilas in Jaipur, a hotel which 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 marriage between Indian flavours and western culinary styles.
In November 2008, Vivek opened the Cinnamon Kitchen, a new concept from The Cinnamon Club team.
“In my experience of cooking Indian cuisine, I have come across numerous examples of authenticity as a reason for not doing things rather than trying something different. I wanted to free Indian food from the straitjacket of tradition and, in order to do so, it was important to push the perceived boundaries beyond what was considered to be authentic.”