Words: Olivia Jones Communications
Bursting with an assortment of foodie experiences Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition (June 30- July 2), which runs concurrently with The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, returns to La Montagne Resort in Ballito for three nights of fine wining and dining and quality fashion and lifestyle entertainment.
“Coastal Living Bru is about celebrating and showcasing the very best cuisine the North Coast has to offer. We are very proud of our local restaurants, chefs, food and beverage artisans and proudly showcase their talents at our three night celebration of food and wine. Come and join us for glass of wine and an exquisite bite to eat whilst being entertained in an idyllic outdoor setting under the stars overlooking the lapping waves of the seas below, “ said Collette Bundy, coordinator of the Ballito Pro presented by Billabong.
Photo credit: Ryan Janssens
The popular culinary event hosts a number of exciting cooking competitions, including the tightly contested ‘Fleur du Cap So You Think You Can Cook Ballito Style’. A crowd favourite the pro chef competition pairs together professional and amateur chefs to prepare a mouth-watering dish from mystery box ingredients, with the contest culminating in an exciting finale on July 2. Chefs have to cook to the theme ‘liquid motion – evolution of epic’, and impress the panel of expert judges. Prizes include a Smeg appliance to the value of R20 000 and a marketing and publicity package from Caxton Magazines for the pro chef and a R5000 Hirsch voucher and cash prize of R10 000 for the amateur chef.
Another popular cooking competition is the Fine Young Cooks Awards. A group of budding young chefs are paired together with students from the International Hotel School to rustle up a delicious dish to impress the judges and hopefully win themselves some amazing prizes. The three night competition will have a four teams competing each night with a winner announced every night.
Catering to the more culinary-minded other foodie highlights at the three night event include a restaurant, coffee and wine showcase, a wine auction, live entertainment and the opportunity to sample the best culinary delights of KwaZulu-Natal has to offer at the artisanal food and beverage market. With sponsorship from the Lifestyle Centre and some of their Foodies Market traders the market will offer the best in organic vegetables, free range eggs, meat cheeses, sauces, fresh baked goods, ice-cream and so much more.
Coastal Living Bru visitors will once again be treated to a fashion extravaganza, with the spotlight falling brightly on the bevy of beauties gracing the glittering catwalks as part of The Miss Ballito Pageant. A Rotary Club of Zimbali initiative the pageant not only equips young ladies to excel at life but raises money for local charities too. Other exciting attractions include a fashion show and designer and dance extravaganza.
A brand new addition to this year’s event is the Monster Beach Surf Movie Night on July 1. Hosted by popular personality Kai Linder the epic movie night is bringing the beach to the big screen with a range of impressive movie titles including, Cluster, Strange Rumblings in Shangri La, and My Road Series. The movie night will be free to the public but seats are on a first come first served basis.
The Coastal Living Bru Food and Wine Exhibition forms part of The Ballito Pro presented by Billabong, the world's longest professional surfing event and epic beach and lifestyle festival taking place in Ballito from June 29 to July 5.
For more information visit theballitopro.com, like 'The Ballito Pro' on Facebook and follow @theballitopro on Twitter.
