Having test-run two first automated recycling machines in its Waterfront store, Pick n Pay has expanded the number of stores in which it has placed its machines to three, being Camps Bay, Constantia, and its On Nicol store in Johannesburg. This is not a minute too soon, given how much litter is generated from Pick n Pay store purchases, if Camps Bay is a sample of one. Continue reading →
It was the last episode of ‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa‘ last night, going full circle in Hayden having surfed off Muizenberg in episode 1, and doing so as well in Umhlanga in episode 13 last night. It was a shame that Hayden chose to end off his endorsement for Woolworths’ sustainability program by playing silly games with two pieces of Naan bread and stick out his tongue, a photograph placed on the programme series’ Facebook page.
Hayden visited a hydroponic cucumber farm Qutom Farms outside Durban, which supplies Woolworths. They catch rain water, and therefore they have not had to use external water for more than two years. The plants are grown in glasshouses with covering over the roofs to allow the staff to adapt the amount of light shining onto
the cucumber plants. Derrick Baird, Director of Qutam Farms, said that the hydroponic farm ‘is a little bit of Europe here in South Africa’. They also use solar heating for the plant, generating about 220 kw per day. The plants are grown in cocopeat instead of in soil. A fine mist is sprayed if it gets too hot. No pesticides are used, allowing Hayden to eat a crunchy cucumber without having to wash it.
The Victoria Spice Market in Durban is known as the best place in which to buy curry spices. Viewers were Continue reading →
Last night’s episode 12 of ‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa‘ showed many South Africans an area of the country they have little exposure to, being Shakaland, a Zulu Cultural Centre, where Quinn was exposed to Zulu stick fighting, dancing, and traditional food and beer. The link to Woolworths in rhino spotting and to Shakaland is not clear, other than that Woolworths sells Rhino-themed shopper bags.
The Wildlife ACT (African Conservation Trust) Rhino monitor guide Zama Ncube took Quinn and Justin Smith, Head of Sustainability at Woolworths, to track black and white rhino, finding fresh dung and tracks of the rhino in the thick grass, and they were able to spot them too. Woolworths’ shopper bags with rhino visuals were plugged, as was the My Planet shopper card, proceeds of which go to the Wildlife ACT program. 
The link between Woolworths’ Sustainability focus and Wildlife ACT was not explained. Quinn then took to the skies in a helicopter, flown by pilot Etienne Gerber of the Zululand Anti-Poaching Wing of Project Rhino KZN, making it far easier to see the rhinos from above, and to control their movement and protection. Quinn was spoilt with sightings of zebra, giraffe, and buck. He was told that there are 20000 rhinos now. Continue reading →
Cape Town will be put on the national map from today, when the first episode of the ‘Charly’s Cake Angels’ TV series, focused on Charly’s Bakery, is flighted on SABC 3 at 16h00 this afternoon. Each of the thirteen episodes focuses on a unique aspect of Cape Town, and will make Cape Town synonymous with Cake Town!
Mother-and-daughters-team of Jacqui, Alex, Roche and Dani Biess are excited about the ‘mucking afazing’ (their cheeky slogan) opportunity they were given to not just make their well-loved distinctively pink bakery famous, but also Cape Town, the city they love, with its creative qualities. Charly’s Bakery has operated for 21 years, and has become known for its designer cakes, and no design request for wedding and birthday cakes has been insurmountable, be it representing Cape Town, cars, fashion accessories, and many more designs. Cake is symbolic of the most important events and milestones in one’s life. To celebrate the success of the TV series, Charly’s Bakery will donate R5000 to one of a number of charity alternatives, the most deserving being voted for by their fans.
The ‘Charly’s Cake Angels’ programme series came about when Producer Justin Bonello, of Cooked in Africa Films, approached Charly’s Bakery. Not only will the creative cake shop receive valuable coverage through the TV series, but there will also be a book published and merchandise will be for sale. A new website has been launched for Charly’s Bakery, to co-incide with the TV series. The DVD cover for some of the episodes summarises the background as follows: “Charly’s Cake Angels is a reality series which will take viewers down the rabbit hole deep into the world jammed with screaming ‘Eat me’ cakes. Every week viewers will be treated to the Charly’s team tackling yet another impossible cake for a fabulous function”.
Executive Producer Peter Gird said as follows about the TV series: “…’Charly’s Cake Angels’ is far more than a documentary set in a bakery, but offers a truly unique and entertaining view into the lives of the ‘Angels’ and the community they serve, and provides an entertaining and heart-warming showcase to truly ‘mucking afazing’ cakes that do more than make people’s mouths water. Don’t be fooled into thinking ‘Charly’s Bakery is a factory. It’s a philosophy and a way of life, with strong local and social media following. Our partnership allows us to portray the joie de vivre, laughter, creative innovation and candy-striped chaos that patrons don’t usually see, to a local TV audience and beyond. using social media and in-store promotional mechanisms”.
In a most unusual manner, the tourism assets of Cape Town and beyond are built into the TV series. So, for example, the cake that Charly’s Bakery baked to represent Cape Town, and showcased at the Design Indaba earlier this year, is covered in the ‘Cape Town Cake’ episode. So too, in conjunction with Cosmopolitan, a range of handbag and shoe cakes was produced and became the programme theme for the ‘Fashion’ episode. The ‘Revenge of the Rhino’ episode is dedicated to the birth of a rhino, particularly poignant, given the death of rhinos due to poaching at Aquila Game Reserve, where footage was shot for this episode. Table Mountain features in many of the episodes.
Bonello has published three books: ‘Cooked in Africa’, Weekends Away’, and ‘Out of the Frying Pan’. He and Gird have also produced ‘Cooked’ (broadcast on BBC), ‘Getaway to Africa’ (broadcast on M-Net and Discovery), ‘Exploring the Vine’ (broadcast on M-Net and National Geographic), and ‘Fresh Living TV‘ (broadcast on etv).
Charly’s Bakery, 38 Canterbury Street, Cape Town. Tel (021) 461-5181. www.charlysbakery.com
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage