Food is about savouring local flavours and cultures, making new friends and most of all, having fun.
That’s what charismatic television chef, traveller and author, Justin Bonello, will be bringing to the table on Friday, 8 June at 6.30pm at the Oyster Box Hotel. He’ll team up with the master of spice and king of curries, Kevin Joseph, the highly respected executive chef of The Oyster Box, to create an unforgettable food demonstration to all the guests attending, providing them all with first hand cooking experience and gaining culinary tips from the masters while raising funds for Childline KwaZulu-Natal.
Filmmaker and veteran presenter, Justin Bonello, is a family man who is going all out to support Childline KZN! He is something of a South African version of Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay – seasoned with a particularly hot passion for Africa and sharing good food with good people.
Throughout, he has mixed haute cuisine with a dollop of rough and tough cooking in the bush or on the beach. He is probably best known as the star of his own cooking and travel show, Cooked, which dates back to 2006.
In addition to this, he has another 10 television series to his name – including Getaway to Africa (aired locally on MNET and internationally by various broadcasters), Exploring the Vine (aired locally on MNET HD and internationally on National Geographic), as well as Riaan Manser and Dan Skinstad’s epic adventure in Iceland last year entitled Around Iceland on Inspiration (aired locally on SABC 3).
He has published four books – the best selling Cooked in Africa, the pocket book Weekends Away, Out of the Frying Pan and Justin Bonello and Friends which was launched in December last year.
Kevin Joseph is the perfect culinary partner to Justin for the evening. Equally passionate about all things local and dishing up the finest of fare, he also hails from Cape Town but has worked across the world – including in Gordon Ramsay’s Claridges Hotel restaurant in London. From the Oyster Box kitchen, he celebrates locally-grown and gathered produce, re-invents local classics and works hard with his fellow chefs to raise KwaZulu-Natal’s food-tourism profile.
For just R1 500, each fine diner can expect a menu that starts with “oysters in a box”.
Tables will have a selection of breads, butter and smoked snoek pate – and a goodie bag for each guest.
The main course comprises supreme breast of chicken, goose liver and orange farce, sweet potato and apple rosti with a citrus cider jus – and seafood paella, done in the inimitable Justin Bonello style! Both meals will be prepared in front of guests providing an interactive fun filled evening and a dinner with a difference.
To top it all, our gourmet guests will then be invited to show their creativity and garnish their own desserts – with a prize for the best sweet treat.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Childline KZN and this event is not only being held to celebrate this but also to raise both awareness and funds for this vitally important organisation.
“We are a provincial, non-profit, non-governmental organisation which relies on support from the community to continue providing vital services. Childline KwaZulu-Natal tries to make a difference in the lives of those who have had to endure unimaginable suffering.
We not only run the 24 hour crisis line that is often the only way that children can appeal for help but have comprehensive programmes in place to deal with abuse, neglect and exploitation. These focus not only on bringing perpetrators to book, but also on helping children heal from devastating trauma.
Our goal is to protect victims, while educating and raising awareness in order to prevent child abuse,” Childline’s KZN director, Linda Naidoo said.
For bookings, contact Kyro at S&A Marketing on 031-3031788.