Today Makers Landing opens in the V&A Waterfront, at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal, it offering ‘authentic South African food and its diversity is shared and celebrated’.
In an over-written post the Waterfront describes the new Food market as ‘a place where people can meet, eat, drink, shop and work’.
The Waterfront’s post continues as follows:
’Core to this will be a kitchen incubator space, where foodpreneurs can innovate, learn and grow their businesses within a local food community. Developed in partnership with the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund, this space will champion small business development and facilitate skills sharing between credible food experts and budding entrepreneurs, while using the best of industry knowledge to drive innovation and foster new business in South Africa’s food ecosystem.
Makers Landing will also include a kitchen studio and event space, that showcases and celebrates South African food heritage; as well as a Makers’ Space, market stalls and eateries which will give valuable insight into end-to-end food production while providing a variety of delicious and authentically local meals and products.
Tenants will be curated by a panel made up of representative industry experts, headed up by Hannerie Visser: Founder, Studio H; and Andy Fenner: Owner, Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants. This team will assess tenants on various criteria, including measuring them against the V&A Waterfront’s transformation policies, as well as diversity, sustainability, commerciality and credibility.
The overall experience will present an authentic representation of South African food and a hub of diverse, quality food makers and their produce, where people gather not just to enjoy food and the stories behind their makers, but also where chefs and foodies can shop for the best meat, seafood, produce and prepared food.
Our table will extend to anyone who has a food story to tell or who simply delights in the South African food journey. We want to celebrate our diverse food heritage and culture, and we want to showcase good food created by real people with real stories to tell.’
‘The V&A Waterfront’s visionary and ground-breaking plan to develop a 3600 (sic) integrated farm-to-fork food experience is set to become a reality at the beginning of December when Makers Landing finally opens its doors to the public at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal in E-Berth.
Makers Landing represents a R63-million investment from a partnership between the V&A Waterfront, who invested R48-million, and the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund who invested a further R15-million. The primary objective was to create a circular economy, with each person in the food chain providing for the next one in a shared environment that tells visitors the complete story about the food they eat.
Makers Landing shares the story of food from its origins in oceans and fields, through food preparation processes, to the finished product of deliciously plated meals. It also tells the story of food makers – of the farmers and fishermen; of bakers, distillers and other makers; of entry-level trainees and master chefs; of the owners of small pop-up eateries and large restaurants alike.
Importantly, Makers Landing tells the story of us – the story and flavour of South Africa. Visitors, whether locals or tourists, can look forward to encountering a melting pot of cultures and uniquely South African tastes as diverse as shisanyama and Malay curry, of bunny chow, koeksisters, biltong and boerewors.
The space, a converted 1920s warehouse, will retain its gritty, industrial feel appropriate for its location in the heart of South Africa’s oldest working harbour. Within the 3 000m2 space visitors will find a fresh food market; eight maker stations where people can watch food being prepared; eight small co-op eateries; five anchor tenants of varying sizes; and a demo kitchen where food lovers can congregate to engage with experts about food.
At the heart of this food community will be a Kitchen Incubator where today’s talented young entrepreneurs will be given the space, mentorship, guidance and skills they need to become tomorrow’s award-winning food businesses, chefs and restauranteurs (sic).
The vision for Makers Landing, then, is to be a purpose-driven space that supports job creation and skills development, a space that will champion small businesses and facilitate skills sharing between credible food experts and budding entrepreneurs.
V&A Waterfront CEO David Green said, “In essence, Makers Landing will be an inspiring, edgy space where new food concepts and ideas can flourish. We came across this concept internationally where we saw the success food incubators have in creating jobs and providing food at accessible prices. The V&A Waterfront is already a favourite destination that locals enjoy and visitors come to discover, and just being in this environment will give start-ups and other tenants an advantage. And when cruise ships return to our shores, as we believe they will, the first experience their passengers will have of South Africa as they disembark, will be our rich food story.”
“The National Treasury’s Jobs Fund was a crucial partner in our journey and we are grateful that they shared our vision. When we presented our plans to them they saw the same job creation and skills development potential that we did, and we could hold up our popular Watershed as proof that SMMEs placed in a nurturing environment, with the right trading conditions, can thrive.”
Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein
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