Tag Archives: Caltex

New Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club launched

An exciting new Food & Wine Bloggers Club has been launched in Cape Town, and its first meeting will be held at the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School on 19 May, from 18h00 – 20h00.

Based on bloggers’ needs to always learn something new about Social Media Marketing, and given that there is no Bloggers’ Manual to teach one about blogging, I decided to start a Bloggers Club, as I too wish to learn more.   As I enjoy writing about food, and enjoyed attending the Food Bloggers’ Conference in March, I decided to form a Bloggers’ Club that focuses on food and wine, and that “pairs” a food blogger with a wine blogger.  Every month a different food and wine blogger pair will address the Bloggers’ Club meeting.

I am delighted that Liam Tomlin, owner of the new Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School in the Cape Town city centre, has come on board as a partner in the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, and his Cookery School, seating 20 persons, will host the meetings.  He will also make snacks to match the wine that the Wine Blogger will be presenting during his/her talk.

Each of the selected wine and food bloggers will speak for 30 minutes about his/her blog, giving a description of the content, spelling out their goals, and providing guidelines to the other bloggers present about how to be a better blogger.   Bloggers attending will then be able to ask questions, and to meet the other Bloggers present.

Our first food and wine pair to speak, on 19 May, is Michael Olivier of Michael Olivier Blog and Anel Grobler of Spit or Swallow Blog.

Our programme of speakers for future Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club meeting are Pete Goffe-Wood of Kitchen Cowboys Blog, Pieter Ferreira of Graham Beck and Bubbles on Wine Blog, The Foodie of The Foodie Blog, Mike Ratcliffe of Warwick Wine Estate and Vilafonte Blog, Sam Wilson of Food24 Blogs, Rob Armstrong of Haut Espoir, Dax Villanueva of Relax-with-Dax Blog, Hein Koegelenberg of  La Motte and Hein Koegelenberg Blog, Clare Mack of Spill Blog, Simon Back of Backsberg Blog, Jane-Anne Hobbs of Scrumptious Blog, and Emile Joubert of Wine Goggle Blog.

Future Club meetings will be on 1 July, 28 July, 18 August, 22 September, 20 October, and 24 November.  A new speaker list for 2011 will be announced closer to the time.

The Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School opened 3 weeks ago, and is a stockist of the most wonderful  local and imported kitchenware, glassware, crockery, utensils, pots, as well as a broad range of unusual ingredients, oils, essences, and teas.   Chef Liam Tomlin was the co-owner of Banc, Sydney’s top restaurant, whilst he was there.   He consults to British Airways.  For more details about the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School click here.

To attend a meeting of the Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club, or to volunteer to be a speaker, please e-mail me at info@whalecottage.com.  All aspirant bloggers, avid Blog readers wishing to meet their blogging heroes in person, and regular bloggers, are welcome to join the Club!   Entrance is R 150 per meeting, payable in advance by bank transfer or credit card.   Attendance is limited to 20 persons per meeting, so bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

The Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School is at 50 New Church Street.  From Buitengracht Street turn into Buitensingel Street near the Caltex garage, below Bo-Kaap.  Turn first right into New Church Street.  The Cookery School is on the right, just off the corner, diagonally opposite the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

FIFA Fanfare Friday focus on Cape Town

The world’s eyes will be on Cape Town tomorrow, when the FIFA Final Draw takes place at 19h30 in the Cape Town International Convention Centre.   More than 700 million TV viewers in more than 200 countries are expected to watch the Final Draw, which is hugely important as it determines which of the 32 teams play against each other, and where these matches will take place.

A huge upsurge in ticket sales is expected after tomorrow’s Final Draw, when soccer fans choose which matches they book tickets for and which teams they want to see play.  A new wave of ticket sales starts on Saturday, with low-priced tickets at R 140 still available to South Africans.

More than 5 000 media, FIFA officials, team coaches and VIP’s will attend the Final Draw at the Convention Centre.  Charlize Theron, Oscar actress and originally from South Africa, is one of the presenters, while David Beckham, Pele, Archbishop Tutu, Past President FW de Klerk, Franz Beckenbauer and President Zuma will also be present. 

The Executive Producer for the Final Draw, South African George Mazarakis, says that it would be the best FIFA Final Draw ever.    He said that “the event would showcase not only South Africa’s ability to deliver a successful World Cup, but that it would also celebrate Africa’s humanity, reports the Cape Argus.   “The final draw is more than just a TV show, it’s a celebration of football and Africa” he said.

A stage of 40 meters wide, and 8 meters tall, which took 5 000 hours to build, will be filmed by 18 cameras.   The set was almost predominantly made in Cape Town.  More than 3 000 locals are involved in the production.  Entertainers performing at the Final Draw are the Soweto Gospel Choir, Angelique Kidjo and Johnny Clegg. 

The weather forecast looks favourable for tomorrow, with lovely blue skies, ensuring good scenery shots for Cape Town.   This is Cape Town’s biggest international marketing event ever, only to be capped by the semi-final for the 2010 World Cup in July.

At the mountain end of Long Street a stage will be set up, on which local bands will perform, and large TV screens will broadcast the Final Draw.   More than 15 000 Fan Fest revellers are expected to enjoy the celebration, at which Freshlyground, Jimmy Dludlu, Coda and other musicians will play.

Access into and out of the city tomorrow is expected to be a nightmare, with numerous road closures near the Convention Centre, and around Long Street.   On Sunday evening 100 000 Capetonians came to see the switching on of the Christmas Lights, and this caused traffic anarchy in the city center.  No traffic police were visible on that evening, and pedestrians took over the street lanes, which clogged up all vehicle movement.

The FIFA VIP’s have been entertained this week, with a lunch yesterday on Signal Hill, with a spectacular view onto the new Cape Town Stadium, and a 5-jet formation flyover put on for them.   A dinner party was hosted by Premier Helen Zille in her official residence, and the FIFA executive committee is meeting on Robben Island today.   Journalists will be treated to a media gathering at Maiden’s Cove between Camps Bay and Clifton, and one hopes that the weather gods will switch off the southeaster on that day!

Disappointingly, very little FIFA World Cup branding is visible in the city – a huge banner is visible on the Westin Grand Hotel, at which FIFA President Sepp Blatter is staying with his entourage.  Eight Adidas footballs have been set up near the Caltex garage at the entrance to the Waterfront, and tiny VISA flags are visible in the Waterfront.   The lamp pole banners on Buitengracht Street are boring, and one can barely see the FIFA 2010 World Cup logo on them. 

Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions estimates that 480 000 foreign soccer fans will attend the 2010 World Cup, and will generate R 8,5 billion for South Africa, generating a benefit of R 11,5 billion for the country’s economy.    The consultancy expects 50 % of the tickets to be sold to locals, and the balance to international soccer fans.  About 18 000 journalists are expecetd  next year and 26 million soccer fans will view the World Cup on TV.   The largest number of international tickets have been sold to the USA (360 565), the UK (481 184), Germany (25 060) and Australia (17 848), reports the Cape Argus.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio www.whalecottage.com

Bingley Tours Sweet and Caltex Garage Sour Service Awards

The Sweet Service Award  goes to Terry Bingley of Bingley Tours for speedily transporting guests from Cape Town airport to Hermanus when the contracted company did not arrive to collect the guests, and for accepting payment at the (lower) rate quoted by the other company.

 

The Sour Service Award  goes to Caltex garage at UMS Sales in De Waterkant for the poor and slow service from the attendant, who had to count the day’s takings first before he could fill the car with petrol.   When the customer complained, the attendant became abusive, and the customer had to lock the car windows, out of fear.  No offer of cleaning the windscreen, checking the tyres etc is ever made.   The son of the owner expressed surprise and even irritation when this feedback was presented to him the following day, as he and his father are never visible at the forecourt of the garage, and yet he wanted to dispute the feedback.   The customer has decided to never use this petrol station again, despite its convenient location. 

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

Camps Bay is cooking!

Three new restaurants have opened in Camps Bay on trendy Victoria Road, opposite the beachfront, thereby bringing the number of restaurants in Camps Bay to close to 30.

The three new restaurants have just opened in the space of the erstwhile Caltex petrol station: The Kove, Bungalow and Gateway to India.

The Kove and Bungalow are owned by the same owner (Paul Kovensky) as Paranga in Camps Bay, just a hop away, and Pepenero in Mouille Point.  

The rather oddly-named The Kove is “a traditional grill house”, according to its advertorial in the Cape Times.   “Combining old-school classics with new-age cuisine, this beach grill offers upmarket dining for discerning patrons”, its PR blurb continues.   Its interior has a red and white rose and ivy design on the ceiling, intended to create an “Alice in Wonderland” effect.   It sports a sommelier and an “award-winning wine list”, the latter being a claim it cannot make as the restaurant only opened this month.

Bungalow is described as a “cutting-edge, contemporary cafe”, with “cutting-edge molecular gastronomy”, its advertorial claims.    Chef Gabriel le Roux has international experience, including at Michelin-star restaurants, and he creates unusual dishes with unique flavour combinations.  “LIme airs, citric atoms, foams and liquid nitrogen are all an integral part of his culinary creations.”

Christian Barnard, a partner with Kovensky in Paranga, does not seem to be involved in the new ventures at all.  

Gateway to India has opened its doors in the past two days, and is a sister restaurant to a same-name Indian restaurant in Umhlanga Rocks.    Its luxury chandeliers attract attention from the beachfront, but may be over the top for an Indian restaurant, and for a restaurant in general in the time of the global credit crunch.

The Grand Cafe in Camps Bay, a little further down on Victoria Road, is fully booked every night, even though it has only been open for two months.  On Monday night John Cleese was dining there, as well as a very very important VIP, who had 5 bodyguards protecting him and his fellow diners sitting outside on the terrace.    Staff were not allowed to reveal more than his first name “Paul”.