Foodie Greats

I know everyone hates the term "foodie". Frankly, I don't know why. It has the word food in it and it's an adjective. It describes "he who loves food". Anyway.....

The EatOut Mercedes Benz Awards are coming up in about a month's time and beside the fact that we're celebrating chefs and the amazing restaurants they've created or perfected, we're celebrating foodies. People who love food so much that they've made feeding other people their careers. These are brave soles if nothing else. I love food and I've said it a million times before; I love cooking it as much as I love eating it. But....... it's always so much pressure to prepare it for other people not knowing what they'll think. Whether they'll love it or hate.

Restauranteurs and chefs are the warriors of the food industry, putting their innermost feelings and capabilities on a plate, baring their soles as it were. So win or lose, I have nothing but admiration for these people.

If you're as interested as I am in seeing whether your local favourite has made it, keep a lookout for the results or follow the competition on www.eatout.co.za, this includes your everyday eateries which have already been announced for Gauteng, KZN and Mpumalanga.

Having said all of that, I'm a bit of a groupie. This, you think, may be reserved for rockstars but it depends on exactly that.... what rocks your boat. As mine is food, rockstars are those culinary heroes who have made a name for themselves and piqued our interest. I'm off to meet with one of the Top 10 Restaurant nominees tomorrow morning, Martinus Ferreira of DW Eleven -13. His restaurant has been nominated and won four times since opening in 2009 and has made the list of 20 nominees again this year, one of three Gauteng restaurants. Beside the awards and all the drama attached, I'm really keen on getting to know Mr Ferreira and what makes him tick. He has an amazing background which I hope I'll get some insight on. This, to me, is the equivalent of my high school art teacher describing her relationship with Picasso. He might not be to everyone's taste but is unique in his own right. An adventurous sole who does things just a little bit differently to everyone else, nothing wrong with that! And... I like it!