National Braai Day in SA falls on Heritage Day on 24 September. Australians take their barbecues as seriously as South Africans do their braaiing and Quinn will be showing how to do it, Oz style!
It captivated TV viewers and spawned a host of similar competitions and so the GF&WS is delighted to welcome Great British Bake-Off judge Paul Hollywood to the show.
Youngsters can meet Disney icons Mickey and Minnie Mouse in the Magic of Healthy Living Disney Theatre, which teaches them all about healthy living and eating, a must in a time when childhood obesity has reached record levels. Children will also be able to have fun in the kitchen in the Woolworths Junior MasterChef Kitchen.
Paul Hollywood said that he loves the fact that he's part of a great baking revival. He loves teaching the nation how to bake, which is what his own father did for him. He said: "I want to pass on my secrets to people who are going to say: 'I have realised that I love baking, and now I'm going to make my bread and sell it at the local farmers' market,' or who might say: 'I am going to use the local Post Office in our village to sell my cakes.' I want to give them that little bit of fire."
He did not realise that the Great British Bake Off would be such a hit. "For some years I had been knocking on doors wanting to do a baking programme - and I had done a few - but when they told me about this one, and that it was going to be prime time on BBC2, I went: 'Are you serious?'
"When they assured me they were, I was like:'This is right up my alley! This is what I do!' But I had no idea people would find this baking lark so interesting. I mean, I love it, it's part of what I do, but actually everyone's taken it to heart. It's become a national treasure, which is incredible."
Gary Mehigan is delighted be coming to South Africa following in the footsteps of his co-judge George Calombaris, who came to last year's show. He talks about his love affair with MasterChef: "I made a promise to myself that I would do it for as long as I love and enjoy it. I'm a restaurateur and a businessman, so I don't need it in my life, but I love it. Doing television is remarkable and interesting and amazing - there is nothing like television and it's kind of irreplaceable. I do love it. And what I love the most is that, as a chef, you can ostracise yourself; you can isolate yourself in your own restaurant, and what I find with this show is that it exposes and inspires me with all these other people: my peers and colleagues, the contestants on the show - it's like my other workplace and I find that really, really inspiring at the moment.
"I feel more connected to food now than I ever have in my life. I look at the contestants and dishes they cook and think, 'God, that's a good idea. I love that bit. I love that element'."
Previous MasterChef Australia contestants Adam Liaw, Alvin Quah and Callum Hann have proved hugely popular with Joburg audiences. Now comes Hayden Quinn who is making a splash in the food world.
"Food is one of my passions but only part of my life; my food focus is not so overwhelming that if I forget about all those other amazing things that I like to do, such as surfing. If I didn't have multiple passions, I wouldn't be me. For me, life is about balance and being able to get outside and have a go at everything, experience it all. Playing into lifestyle, food is about nourishing your body. I lead a very active lifestyle and having good, healthy and fresh food is always important."
Locally sourced food and children's nutrition are the leading trends in 2013, according to the US National Restaurant Association's annual "What's hot 2013 chef survey" and the Good Food & Wine Show is bang up to date with these global predictions. It will present two new theatres in Joburg this year - the Little Chefs Kitchen and The Real Food Theatre, a fully interactive experience covering sustainability and home grown produce.
The Good Food & Wine Show is more interactive than ever before - the whole family can interact with local and global foodie personalities who are showcasing their culinary skills while exhibitors have the opportunity to communicate directly with their target market.
Tickets cost R95 for adults for R55 for children. There is a family price of R280, which covers two adults and two children under the age of 16 years.
