City Buzz got the lowdown on the Street Food Festival ZA 2016 straight from the festival’s director.
The Street Food Festival started in Cape Town in 2014 and was described by organisers as a huge success, attracting more than 2 000 people to the inaugural street food market which was serviced by some 40 vendors.
Hannerie Visser, director of Street Food Festival ZA, explained why it was important to create a space for street foodies to show what they could do. “The festival was founded by Studio H,” she said.
“We originally entered the Street Food Festival as a World Design Capital Project as we realised that no one celebrates SA street food – the humblest of South African cuisine and the rest, as they say, is history.”
With Joburg residents buying into the food market craze, it was definitely a must to bring the festival to the City of Gold. “We really wanted to expand the festival to Joburg and started on a very small scale at our friend Jonathan Freemantle’s art gallery, Hazard, in Maboneng,” Visser added.
“This year we are partnering with Jonathan again on a bigger scale at his fantastic new venue, the remodelled Cosmopolitan. We will also make use of Moad [Museum of African Design] across the road and close off Albrecht Street in Maboneng.”
So, what’s on offer during this weekend of foodie madness, you might ask?
“We will also host a conference that will feature talks and workshops geared to inspire all those who are passionate about food to bring their products to market. Sharing the secrets of their success will be Mokgadi Itsweng, chef and creative director of Lotsha Home Foods and food editor of True Love; Keletso Motau of Bellville’s 12 Mile Tour; and Dinesh Patel, chief executive officer of OrderIn.”
If you love food, then this is the scene for you, so don’t miss out on the Street Food Festival ZA starting on 26 August in Johannesburg.
