Celebrity chefs
Celebrity chefs will present their culinary skills at the three food theatres at the SA Cheese Festival. Jenny Morris, Kamini Pather, Pete Goffe-Wood, Carmen Niehaus, and Leon the Milkman will entertain guests in the Agri-Expo Cooking Pot. Herman Lensing, Zola Nene, and Johnny Hamman will oversee food demonstrations in the Cape Made Kitchen, in partnership with the Institute of Culinary Arts (ICA) and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. In the Standard Bank Tasting Room, specialist presenters will treat visitors to cheese pairings with unique combinations including South Africa’s top ten Chenin Blanc wines, craft beer, and a variety of teas.
Amateur chefs are invited to enter their water-wise recipes with President cheese for the #YourWheyWithCheese cook-off in partnership with Heart FM. Jenny Morris and co-judges Kamini Pather and Sihle Ngobese will choose the top 30, who will cook off at Jenny Morris’ Chefs Playground Cooking School in Cape Town on Saturday, 17 March, and the top 15 on Saturday, 7 April. Four finalists will cook off at the SA Cheese Festival with the final cook-off on Sunday 29 April. Visit www.cheesefestival.co.za/competitions before 10 March to enter. Prizes include a four-week cooking course with Jenny Morris and a two-day cheese-making course with Leon the Milkman.
There will be great prizes and of course some delicious cheese to be won in the Ladismith cheese-carving competition, that takes place daily at Blossom’s Gazebo. At the Stellenbosch Vineyards Music Gazebo, festival-goers will be treated to the sounds of popular artists Nic Stevens, Die Wildberries, and Kurt Darren, as well as old favourites by Absolutely Fabulous, Sincere Swing, Under Cover and Bev Scott Brown, and SHIM SHAM.
Cheese aficionados, who crave a more intimate tryst with cheese and foodies, will do well to book for the exclusive connoisseur’s experience. This tailor-made package will entitle you to delights that only the connoisseurs can experience, including VIP parking and entrance, an exclusive Jenny Morris show, a cheese-making demonstration by Leon the Milkman, and a President-curated cheese platter.
Date, time and ticket details
The SA Cheese Festival takes place from Friday, 27 April to Sunday, 29 April 2018 at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch. Tickets are available at any Computicket outlet, Shoprite or Checkers store at R180 per person per day. Senior citizens pay R120 and children between 2 years and 13 years pay R20 per person per day. No tickets will be sold at the gates. The festival times are from 10:00 to 18:00 daily. Sandringham is conveniently located next to the N1, Stellenbosch turn-off (exit 39), between Cape Town and Paarl.
The SA Cheese Festival has just once again been awarded Best Consumer Exhibition by AAXO (African Association of Exhibition Organisers). Visit www.cheesefestival.co.za, contact Agri-Expo on tel 021-975 4440 or email az.oc.opxeirga@nimda for more information. For competition details and programme highlights, follow the SA Cheese Festival on Facebook (Cheese Festival), Twitter (@SACheeseFest) and Instagram (sacheesefest).
