Cape Town’s Table Bay Hotel Food Foraging

Cape Town’s The Table Bay hotel is introducing a new guest experience to allow food connoisseurs to discover authentic South Africa experiences and explore Cape Town’s flora and fauna with the hotel’s Executive Chef – Jocelyn Myers-Adam. The Table Bay guests will be able to join Jocelyn as she hosts customised ‘foraging’ expeditions on Table Mountain to be followed by her own cooking workshop to utilise the fruits of the expedition.

“The Cape’s exquisite ecosystem boasts a diverse array of native plants that can be used creatively to enhance the flavours of food and even define dishes,” says Jocelyn who is recognised for putting The Table Bay hotel’s new restaurant Camissa firmly on the Cape Town fine-dining map. “It is great to be able to highlight South African cuisine by sourcing beautiful local products and creating dishes that will showcase them in their full glory.”

The foraging experiences are guided by recognized local urban hunter-gatherer Charles Standing, who has developed an intricate knowledge of the Cape’s landscape and its opportunities to harvest wild plants for culinary use.

Sherwin Banda, General Manager at the Table Bay Hotel comments: “Foragers, depending on the season, are taken on informative and scenic tours of some of Cape Town’s beautiful areas, from Rondebosh and Tamboerskloof, to Sea Point and Cape Point. Each experience is unique and will leave lasting memories.”

Jocelyn regularly forages for herbs and plants for use in Camissa’s kitchen, incorporating seasonal plants into her cooking to add unique flavours to dishes. For instance, edible flowers like hibiscus blooms, with their cranberry-like flavour and citrus overtones, are used as a colourful and delightful addition to salads, while Nasturtium blossom with their sweet yet spicy flavour, are an ideal ingredient for open sandwiches and savoury appetisers.

Num Nums foraged from the nearby V&A Waterfront are innovatively used on a compote for her signature pork belly dish, while Dune Spinach, with its interesting meaty texture and sea flavour, foraged in Sea Point, can be used to draw out flavours in a variety of meat and fish dishes.

Jocelyn says: “In November I love to add buchu to dishes. Its leaves release an amazing aroma similar to the blackcurrant which add a unique flavour to savoury and sweet dishes.”

The Table Bay hotel foraging expeditions will appeal to the innate hunter-gatherers who are keen to participate in interactive experiences to learn more about reaping the fruits of our natural environment to be creative in the kitchen.

The foraging expeditions are run for groups of about four people and available for all Table Bay Hotel guests subject to availability. Price on request.

For reservations, please contact www.suninternational.com or Tel: +27 11 780 7878.

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