Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The Eat Out Gala Dinner, at which the country’s Top 10 Restaurants will be announced, will be held at Thunder City on 16 November. Mercedes-Benz is the new title sponsor of the Awards.
* The charity ‘Chefs who Share’ dinner, to be held in the City Hall on 11 September, will have seven pairs of top local chefs cooking for guests, each team paired with a local sommelier as well as an international Michelin star chef. The international chefs are Gerd Kastenmeier from Kastenmeier Dresden, Alfred Miller from Wirtshaus Schöneck Innsbruck, Andreas Meyer from Schloss Prielau, Christoph Geschwendtner from Schlosshotel Fiss, Anton Schmaus from Restaurant Storstad, Bernard Reiser from Restaurant Würzburg, and Christian Grainer from Christian’s Restaurant. (received via media release from Amplicon PR)
* Table Bay Boulevard is to be named after former President FW de Klerk, it has been recommended by the City of Cape Town’s Naming Committee, subject to a public participation process. The recommendation has been supported by Premier Helen Zille and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
* Huffington Post’s Travel Blog interviewed Chef Luke Dale-Roberts of Eat Out top restaurant The Test Kitchen, billing him as ‘an expert on Cape Town’s thriving dining scene‘! He writes that our cuisine is influenced by the Cape Malay and Dutch heritage, and that ‘antelope’, springbok and kudu feature on the menu too! Bobotie, ‘smileys’, and game are must-eat dishes, he recommends. He suggests Rust en Vrede and Jardine at Jordan restaurants to take a friend to; Kloof Street as the Foodie Neighbourhood; The Greenhouse for a ‘Blowout Dining Experience‘; Gold for an authentic dining experience; surprise surprise his own The Pot Luck Club for a ‘Lazy Sunday Hangout’; Henry Vigar of La Mouette as a chef ‘worth checking‘; and MasterChef SA judge and Chef Pete Goffe-Wood for culinary classes.
* It is shocking to see how our Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba is disregarding any tourism industry feedback about the disastrous new Immigration Regulations. The latest feedback to the Minister comes from the airline industry, sent by Virgin Atlantic, but also on behalf of KLM, Air France, British Airways, China Southern, Lufthansa, Egypt Air, and thirteen other airlines. In the communication with the Minister, the airlines requested a 12-month delay in the implementation of the regulations. The Minister is reported to have said that more effort should have been made to contact him, as ‘one e-mail doesn’t make a meaningful effort to contact us’! The Virgin Atlantic letter accused the Minister and his department of ‘trying to address the right problem with the wrong solutions, at the wrong time‘, referring to child trafficking. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also expressed its concern about the new regulations.
* ‘Stellenbosch at Summer Place’ takes place in Johannesburg on 15 October, showcasing the best of Stellenbosch’s wine and food offering, combined with music and art. More than 70 wines will be available for tasting, while top Stellenbosch chefs will prepare their delicacies. Cost is R500. (received via media release from Random Hat Communications)
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage