All you need to know about SA’s first ever dessert festival

Sugarholics, lovers of fine patisserie, cakes and dessert this weekend head to Sandton for Dessert Fest SA, a celebration of the sweet life.

Picture: iStock

South Africa’s most widely respected purveyors of food on the sweeter end of the scale have been handpicked to give public exclusive access to a spectacular display of the most loved desserts.

But, instead of just dishing up what’s already out there, Dessert Fest SA also serves as a showcase of the best in international trends.

“Realising there was no other festival or market dedicated to the art of that end-of-the-meal everyone loves, we decided to bring all our favourite dessert finds into one room and share them with Johannesburg! Get ready for a crazy variety of sugar … from crispy custardy donuts to SA’s traditional delicacies such as the koeksister or mini melktertjies, and everything else in between; plus some surprising new additions to tantalise your sweet tooth,” explains Dessert Fest SA founder, Tammy Makadooj.

Zuraida Jardine will be hosting the event, with internationally acclaimed catering and interior décor specialist, Vicky Crease, showcasing food styling inspiration tailored for social media exploration. Her desserts will be offered as a complimentary gift to all those attending Dessert Fest SA.

Some of SA’s top sweet-orientated brands have joined the sugar revolution to sell their most popular creations at the inaugural Dessert Fest SA. Names such as Tonka Bean Bakery, Maverick and Jane Gourmet popcorn, and How We Roll Ice-cream will ring a bell to all those in the know – and now everyone will get an opportunity to savour their fabulousness.

A unique addition to the event offering includes Leafy Green Café, which will be treating festivalgoers to a distinct serving of vegan desserts – staying in line with the event’s overall focus on giving the public access to a wide array of sweet dishes not easily found on mainstream pudding menus.

Other event attractions on the table for Dessert Fest SA are live dessert shows by celeb chefs, food styling talks, a play area for kids as well as a social media-equipped dessert display lounge to “snap, insta, share, indulge”.

Info

Dessert Fest SA takes place at The Mustang Room at Sally Mustang.

Tickets are R100 per person – and includes access to all activities and food stalls selling on the day, complimentary dessert tasters, welcoming drinks and goodie bags.