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My Summer GUIDE 2019
GASTRONOMY REAL ESTATE
OVERSTRAND HERMANUS: UNESCO CREATIVE CITY OF GASTRONOMY
PHOTOS Karen Winter
The Overstrand has a new, unique accolade to add to its already impressive list of reasons for the Whale Coast being a top tourist destination in the world. The United Nations Educational, Scientiic and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced in October that the Overstrand had been designated as Africa’s irst Gastronomy Creative City, joining Cape Town and Durban as the only other two cities in South Africa to be included, respectively, as Creative Cities in Design and Literature in 2017. “This is a win for the whole area from Rooi-Els to Buffeljagsbaai. It is a win for the ishermen, pancake makers, bakers, winemakers, beer brewers, distillers, foodies, farmers, coffee roasters, farm stalls, those who pick the fruit, stir the pots and serve the clients,” says Cape Whale Coast Tourism Manager, Frieda Lloyd, who points out that the gastronomy designation covers the whole range of “farm-to-fork” activities that happen every day across the Overstrand and is not speciic to Hermanus or to restaurants. The candidate cities must present a medium-term, fouryear action plan describing the main initiatives that the city commits to, in achieving the network’s objectives. Already a full programme of activities has been planned for 2020, kicking off in December 2019. “Cape Whale Coast Tourism wants to celebrate the Overstrand’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy award by adding extra creative lair to our outdoor markets – the hubs of local fare. We plan to focus on the personalities, who work so hard at pleasing the palates of locals and visitors. On Saturday 14 December, we would appreciate market organisers asking traders to add something more gastronomic, something in UNESCO blue, to their presentations,” said Frieda. “Maybe
cupcakes with blue icing or cappuccinos with a ‘U’ on the froth. Traders can go wild.”
the Overberg’s farm stalls that make a road trip through this agricultural heartland the more memorable.
In February, once the new school year is underway, there will be a competition with cash prizes. Entrants will have to design a logo for Overstrand’s use to highlight its UNESCO designation.
In partnership with The Village NEWS and Overstrand’s restaurants, a ‘Dinner With…’ series will begin in mid-January, with 24 restaurants, including those in the suburbs of Zwelihle and Hawston, hosting a guest and a journalist from The Village NEWS for dinner every two weeks throughout 2020. Guests will include young people, chefs, those involved in sustainability or creativity, and locals who are well-known for their home-cooking skills. Along with an article in the newspaper, on the website and social media, a ive-minute podcast will also be produced.
From 28 – 31 May 2020, Stanford Tourism will host its inaugural Stanford Culinary Festival, an event designed to showcase the best from the Stanford area’s culinary arena, including restaurants, wine estates, food producers and all those involved with food. Some of the events include a fresh-produce market, a progressive dinner, and ‘Dine with a Local’, for those home chefs, who wish to open their homes and host a group. Hangklip-Kleinmond will host a Ceramics and Porcelain Festival from 24 – 28 June 2020. “Our aim is to showcase the relationship between food and ceramics, while highlighting the artists of the area,” says festival organiser, Deon Brits, also the vice-chair of the Hangklip-Kleinmond Business Forum. “Our relationship to eating and drinking - from our irst cup of coffee in the morning, through nuances of simple meals, to elaborate family celebrations - is richly enhanced by ceramics.” The festival will include a series of 15 interactive workshops - exposing children and adults to working with clay, master classes, exhibitions, talks, a market, and community tables. The Overberg Hermanus Padkos Festival will also take place next year. This aims to highlight two of three features, for which the Overberg is famous – ine food and scenic drives. The aim of the festival is to reach out to
“Our role is to promote the region and not speciic businesses or restaurants,” says Darryl Earl David, Director of the Overstrand UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, whose vision sparked the idea to apply for the recognition. “The Dinner With… series will help to proile the range and quality of restaurants, and to build the reputation of the Overstrand as a gastronomic hub.” A stand-alone website, speciically highlighting all the UNESCO initiatives launched in the Overstrand, will be developed. These activities will be added to events, such as the FynArts Festival and Pinot Noir Celebration that already form part of the Overstrand calendar and were included in the UNESCO application bid. In 2023, the Overstrand Municipality will need to submit a Membership Monitoring Report to UNESCO, detailing the progress and results of these projects and festivals. Creative Cities must also commit to send at least one representative, ideally with the mayor, to the annual conference of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Next year’s conference will be in Santos, Brazil with the 2021 conference being held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Excerpt from Overstrand Hermanus’ 2019 Application to UNESCO: Sustainable development lies at the heart of Hermanus. Starting out as an inhumane whaling station, it has been rebuilt to being renowned as the whale capital of South Africa and to being voted the top land-based, whale-watching destination in the world. Moreover, the city is home to SA’s irst UNESCO biosphere, the UNESCO Kogelberg Biosphere. It is said to have the most diverse species of lora in the world, and is considered a leading food destination, not because it has top restaurants but because of the authenticity of its ingredients, largely sourced from within an 80 km radius throughout the Overberg. Foraging is what differentiates Hermanus from the big cities. The entire food culture is based on sustainability and protecting the environment - from banning straws and bottled water, to restaurants stopping wrapped sweets and wet wipes.
