What not-to-miss at this week’s Plant Powered Show

The Plant Powered Show – the first of its kind on the African continent – takes place from Friday to Sunday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

The show will also incorporate a virtual component, allowing visitors from the rest of the country to take part.

Below are just some of the highlights on the line-up which includes demonstrations by leading chefs, masterclasses and an impressive speaker programme.

Highlights each day include:

FRIDAY:

Interactive demos in the Checkers Plant Kitchen Chef’s Theatre, powered by Simple Truth, with top chefs including Arabella Parkinson who experiments with gastronomy through a sustainable development lens (15:00); Chef Mokgadi Itsweng author of the best-selling recipe book Veggielicious (16:00); celebrity chef and TV and radio personality Jenny Morris aka The Giggling Gourmet (17:00) and Jane Nshuti who aims to make a positive impact by helping families eat healthier meals while embracing their African heritage. (18:00)
Fabulous hands-on Masterclasses with floral guru Flower Walker (15:00); Jay Miller (16:30); Peter Daniel (17:00); and award-winning mixologist Kurt Schlechter (18:30)
Health & Wellness Talks – presented by ProVeg International – every 20 minutes from 15:00 including speakers from Wellness Warehouse; Beauty Without Cruelty; On the Greenside and Leaf Eaters.

SATURDAY:

Award-winning chef and MasterChef South Africa 2022 judge Zola Nene will be one of the star attractions at the show. See Nene in action in the Checkers Plant Kitchen Chef’s Theatre, powered by Simple Truth, at 15h00; she will also be signing copied of her award-winning recipe book afterwards. The show’s alumni Andriëtte de la Harpe and Tarryn de Kock , who both make it to the Top 3, will be showing visitors how to make Andriette’s MasterChef SA finals dish of butternut steak with asparagus, red pepper sauce, ricotta and smoked chimichurri as well as a croquette made with mushroom duxelles and chick*n fillets. (12:00). Also on line-up are the inimitable Giggling Gourmet, Jenny Morris (11:00); MasterChef Australia 2020 finalist Simon Toohey online and all the way from Melbourne (13:00); nutrition and functional foods expert Claire Sharryn Roberto (14:00); Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel chef Rudi Liebenberg (16:00); plant-based chef Arabella Parkinson (17:00) and Gemma Hancock who will be showing audiences how to cook with kelp (18h00).
Masterclasses with Peter Daniel (11:30), Mokgadi Itsweng (12:30), Leozette Roode (13:30), Jay Miller (14:30), Andriëtte de la Harpe with her vegan malva pudding (15:30), Kurt Schlechter (16:30), Kurt Mansergh, on how to make kelp ravioli (17:30) and an “Inspired by fynbos” cocktail masterclass with Kurt Schlechter (18:30)
Health & Wellness Talks – presented by ProVeg International – every 20 minutes from 11:00 including speakers from Wellness Warehouse, Beauty Without Cruelty, On the Greenside and Leaf Eaters

SUNDAY:

Inspirational and fun demos in the Checkers Plant Kitchen Chef’s Theatre, powered by Simple Truth, with the inimitable Jenny Morris (11:00); Mokgadi Itsweng (12:00); Tamsin Snyman of Plant-Based Creative who has developed a range of vegan foods and offers a consulting service to families to assist them transition creatively to a more plant-based lifestyle (13:00); the always fabulous Zola Nene (14:00); creative cook and plant based advocate Mira Weiner from McGregor (15:00)
The Great Big Food Forward SA cook-off at 16:00 – a mystery basket cook-off competition between the chefs that is going to be a lot of laughs, a lot of fun and a lot of food!
Masterclasses scheduled for today feature Loubie Rusch (11:30); Ayurvedic nutritionist Michelle Mistry (12:30); cocktail masterclass with award-winning mixologist Kurt Schlechter (13:30 & 16:30); non-alcoholic mixology masterclass with Owen O’Reilly (14:30); and Potent Plant medicinal hot drinks with Peter Daniel (15:30)
Health & Wellness Talks – presented by ProVeg International – every 20 minutes from 11:20 including speakers from Wellness Warehouse; Beauty Without Cruelty; On the Greenside; and Leaf Eaters
Vegan Meet & Greets for cookbook author chats and book signings

There’s also the fabulous Plant Powered Show Marketplace with more than 140 stands offering the best and latest plant powered products available in South Africa right now.

From superfoods to beverages, beauty and skincare products, kitchen appliances and health and wellness supplements, it’ll all be there, and show-goers will be spoilt for choice.

The show will also incorporate a virtual component, allowing visitors from the rest of the country, the continent and around the globe to join the event from the comfort of their own homes, via the HOPIN online venue from which they can watch a livestream of The Checkers Plant Kitchen chef demos live from the CTICC, meet with exhibitors in the Virtual Expo area and network with other online attendees in the speed networking area.

Tickets for The Plant Powered Show are available from Quicket or at the door and cost R250pp for adults, R200pp for students and seniors over 60+ (valid ID required on entry).

Tickets for the Masterclass costs R145 – there are 18 to choose from and you can select as many as you like (valid with a General Admission ticket on the day) – and online tickets are R120.