On Sunday 6 November we will be hosting an Organic Food, Wine and Craft Festival at Kelvin Grove Club (Ballroom Venue) 144 Campground Road Newlands. Time is from 10am to 5pm
This festival is a lead up to our now annual event, Terra Madre Day on the 10 December, which is celebrated all over the world by Slow Food members. Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in over 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and their enviroment.
Carlo Petrini, an Italian, is the Founder of the Slow Food Movement. Every 2nd year Slow Food International in Italy convenes a conference
Terra Madre Conference and members from all over the world converge to share ideas who are working in mainly organic food production. I attended the conference in October 2010 and also the Salone del Gusto (Salon of Taste) which consisted of 3 large halls of food. The smells of coffee, pickled meats, smoked salmon and many more permeated the halls. These were all producers of fine foods from not only Italy but from all over the world giving us tastes of different foods prepared either traditionally or innovatively. Have a look at the website: www.slowfood.com for more information and background of the work of Slow food international and its members!
We are hoping that our Organic Food, Wine & Craft festival will be a microcosm of the Salon of Taste. Showcasing our local organic producers and growers of various produce on Sunday 6 November at Kelvin Grove which is right next door to Western Province Sports Club.
Included in our festival programme will be high quality art and craft made of various materials which includes recycled materials! Jezzy makes quality handcrafted jewelry from magazine paper. You will see him at work at the festival making the jewelry!
Mustoera is a real gem! She sews home decor items beautifully. Come and view her range of decor items. She can also custom make your specific orders for a range of your requirements.
Sheena will be exhibiting her handcrafted Japanese Vintage Collectibles and will introduce you to a culture that is centuries old
and introducing:
Cocoafair, a young chocolate-making company who will be on hand demonstrating the roasting of organic cocoa beans. We have been learning about the extensive health benefits of cocoa after a recent visit to the factory. The tour included a young 12 year schoolboy and were impressed with Marlon’s detailed tour of the factory and the full explanantion of chocolate -making. He certainly is a passionate chocolatier who took the questions from a young boy very seriously and answered them fully!
Importantly we took away this knowledge:
1) Cocoa helps the body produce nitric oxide critical for healthy blood flow and maintaining blood pressure
2) The flavonols in cocoa act as antioxidants
3) Cocoa is a natural analgesic and triggers the production of natural opiates and feel -good enzymes in the brain
Cocoafair has a host of organic chocolate products and sell organic brown sugar, cocoa and cocoa beans and are based at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.
Have a look at their website: www.cocoafair.com for more information on these social entrepreneurs
Slow food promotes traditional food -making! In Cape Town our Cape Malay food is part of our cultural heritage. So come and try the breyani’s, curries and many other delicacies like bobotie, lamb curry and roti and other tasty morsels of vetkoek with savoury fillings
Madhuri and Jay makes vegetarian meals and a range of Indian sweetmeats and snacks! This dynamic husband and wife team feeds many students and proffessionals at the UCT Medical campus on a daily basis and are renowned for their great cooking! When tasting Madhuri’s bean curry or vegetable breyani you will not miss the meat and will certainly be back for more samplers of their taste sensations. Madhuri and Jay have been a consistent part of the MENNGOS Market programme from inception!
Now, Perveen will be personally serving you with organic coffee and a range of teas which includes rooibosch tea grown in the Wuppertal Valley. She plans to have a corner for children to decorate their own cupcakes which will keep them occupied while you enjoy your cuppa. Talk about taking time to smell the coffee!
On sale will be fresh organic vegetables, fruit and herbs, farm fresh eggs, organic cheeses and other farm produce, flowers and proteas and a variety of indigenous plants and naturally organic beverages to taste and sample.
Randall Williams the producer of Rataceae Nature’s Gift medicines, is proudly South African!
Randall grows the herbs organically and then produces the medicines which has been passed by the Department of Health and Medical Research Council. The MENNGOS propogation site will be contributing to his growing herb collection in the next few months! Viva growers of organic produce and herbs for health!
He, not only is a grower and producer of medicine but smokes chicken and fish which will be sold that day and he uses no chemicals but oak shavings.
Randall is in dire need of access to land for growing herbs on a more commercial level to meet the demand of his medicinal products. If you have any information of land available in the Kuils River area please do not hesitate to contact menngos@mweb.co.za and we can link you with Randall Williams!
We will keep the website updated as the bookings come in! Table and 2 chairs are R350 per stallholder and there are only 30 tables available. The event will take place in the ballroom venue of Kelvin Grove, 144 Campground Road Newlands.
Good music for the adults and child friendly activities will keep all our guests and stallholders happliy entertained for the day! We hope you will take some time to stroll through the beautiful gardens at Kelvin Grove and truly relax with all that we will have to offer!
This festival is run under the auspices of MENNGOS Organic Food programme. MENNGOS supports projects in the Eastern Cape and in clusters in the Western Cape with much -needed agricultural consumeables for organic vegetable, fruit and herb growing. We promote using permaculture methods in all our work and encourage the ongoing use of recycling methods and water conservation to grow our projects sustainably!
The market programme draws together people working towards organic goals and sustainable living. More importantly, the market programme promotes awareness of the pockets of people who are growing the sector whilst using their own talents and skills to make a living!
Contact : Petrina on Cell : 074 302 3254 or 021 761 2373 or Sheena on 079 5656 794
Email: menngos@mweb.co.za
