It’s full steam (plus boiling, grilling, and sous vide) ahead of Appetite Fest 2019

The kitchen at Time Square is a hive of activity: Chefs, sous chefs, and cooks are chopping, peeling and carefully filleting fresh ingredients in preparation for the gala dinner on Thursday evening. The exclusive event is a warm-up to the culinary festival, Appetite Fest, which kicks off this weekend at Time Square in Menlyn.

"We have 3500 baby vegetables sourced from a local farm, Pico Greens, 100 kilos of fresh Salmon, 50 litres of freshly prepared curry paste, 20 litres of Crustacean oil, 10 kilos of Macadamia nut butter and six kilos of Yarra Valley Salmon roe," explains MasterChef Australia Gary Mehigan who is overseeing the starter portion of Thursday's gala dinner."We have been pouring over the ingredients we have sourced for the festival because we don't get even a third of this kind of quality in Australia."

His MasterChef colleague, George Calombaris, will be overseeing the main meal that features a somewhat unlikely local favourite. "I'm making duck that I'll be serving with chakalaka – only because I love the word: chakalaka, chakalaka, chakalaka – such a fun word; who wouldn't want to cook with that?" he jokes.

Fellow judge Matt Preston is in charge of dessert. The chefs will be recreating the same meals for their Chef's Table Masterclasses on Saturday and Sunday, as part of the full line-up at the culinary festival. They will be joined by MasterChef Australia mentor chef Shannon Bennett and 2018 winner Shashi Cheliah alongside local chefs Siba Mtongana, Bertus Basson and Sarah Graham.

Matt Preston, who is well known for his stylish outfits on the hit Australian show, says South Africans should appreciate their food more. "The whole point is not to try to be as good as a Paris restaurant," he says. "Do you want something posh with French waiters or do you want something that reflects South Africa? You have to aim to be the best at what you can do. What I come to South Africa for is to eat delicious food that I will never get in Australia. And that's the future of cuisine in every country; you have to relish in what makes your food unique."

George agrees. "There are some incredible local chefs in South Africa," he adds. "It's been really exciting to go to some of the food hotspots on Tuesday and the place is packed. It's so important not to try and compare yourself to other chefs and cuisines and appreciate what is on offer locally. That's why Appetite Fest is so important and exciting."

"It was a buzz last year and we are pumped to be here again," Gary adds. "This is a great opportunity to enjoy great food and to watch us cook – unlike MasterChef, there is no editing. It's live and it's raw and you will get a true sense of who we really are."

Local delights

Chef Bertus Basson, who is a household name in the Cape Town Winelands, will also be presenting a #ImCookingWith session where foodies will cook their favourite chef's signature dish alongside them.

"I have a fetish for South African ingredients, and this year we will focus on sustainability. We will be cooking with ethically sourced abalone as well as melkkos. We are not going to do something very 'cheffy' but it will be something that all South Africans love to eat,"he says.

Sarah Graham will be presenting plant-based food from her upcoming cookbook. "I will be sharing my take on pap en vleis, but without the vleis – I'm looking forward to the reaction of my unsuspecting audience."

Chef Siba Mtongana will also be celebrating African food during Appetite Fest. "When you google African food, the images that come up are pretty terrible. I want to change that perception. For example, I'll be making bongo chicken – and if you don't know what that is, then you will have to come to the festival to find out!"

Appetite Fest tickets and experiences are available at Computicket now.