The Sweet Service Award goes to Divas Unite, for the event held in the City Hall to celebrate Women’s Day and to raise funds for a women’s breast cancer detection and treatment service. Organized by the ever-energetic Barbara Lenhard of Opulent Living, the event showcased some of our country’s most talented women performers, including Zanne Stapelberg, Judy Page, Kim Kallie, and Zolani Mahola from Freshlyground, accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, largely made up of women musicians.
Tag Archives: Zanne Stapelberg
Divas Unite celebrates Women’s Day 2015, benefits women’s cancer charity!
Women’s Day is a unique public holiday, celebrated only in South Africa. Yesterday our country’s women were celebrated with an almost all-women cast of musical performers at Divas Unite, held at the City Hall in Cape Town.
The event was organized expertly by Opulent Living’s Barbara Lenhard, overcoming severe obstacles in making the event happen so smoothly. When we arrived, Frey chocolates greeted us with bowls of their chocolate balls, while main sponsor Infiniti offered 
guests packets of jelly beans. My friend Jenny Stephens and I were extremely grateful to have been allocated such fabulous Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 19 June
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Radford Dale Freedom Pinot Noir 2012 was paired with one of the courses at the dinner for the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden last weekend, reports The Drinks Business!
* Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom has announced in Parliament that a survey is to be conducted by the government, to establish the Continue reading →
Franschhoek Bastille Festival une bonne fête, more than just wine tasting!
The Bastille Festival was a festive weekend of tasting Franschhoek wines, connecting with friends, and trying some of the village food treats. By all accounts it was a great success, and DnA Events must be congratulated in attracting such large numbers of visitors to Franschhoek, irrespective of the winter weather! Almost every accommodation establishment was fully booked on Saturday evening, and the restaurants and shops did a roaring trade. Franschhoek looked festive, almost every business being decorated in the French tricolore, and many of the locals and visitors wearing a beret and French colours. For our French-speaking intern from Reunion, it was a surprise to experience all the Frenchness of Franschhoek this weekend.
It seemed more crowded on Saturday compared with previous years, yet there seemed to be less on offer outside of the Festival marquee than in the past. We saw the queue outside the marquee just after the midday opening time, and it stretched a few blocks down Dirkie Uys Street. We heard from our Whale Cottage Franschhoek guests that many tried to get tickets to get into the marquee on Saturday but were unable to do so, not even in the closing hour. Those that did have tickets could barely move inside the marquee as it was so full, despite a limit on the numbers, mainly caused by the afternoon rain, which meant that the ticket holders sitting outside moved into the marquee. For many it was too crowded, and they left the marquee after visiting one stand, taking a bottle of wine outside to enjoy it in less crowded conditions. Col’Cacchio had a band performing, and appeared to be one of the most popular meeting places after the marquee closed at 17h00, there being no cover charge. Last minute rooms were sold to visitors who had heard about breathalyser tests on Helshoogte Pass. The traffic on the main road was unbelievable, at times backed up to the Huguenot Monument.