The preparation of food probably started when man discovered fire so let’s go back to the beginning of the first Renaissance – just for a moment. Constantinople had just been trounced by Mohammed II – it was the 29th of May 1453. At around the same time the 100 years war of the Brits ended in France where it was, sensibly, held and the War of the Roses came to an end. America had been discovered a hundred years earlier on the 12th of October 1452, France lost its independence but Flanders didn’t and thus began the beginning of the new, a Rebirth. There was a cross cultural exchange as had never been seen before and there was feeling of renewed energy. Everyone wasn’t happy, some people were miserable and many threatened to emigrate somewhere, anywhere, to escape the inevitable. Against all odds and all previous predictions by the brilliant minds of the time, the economy changed and politics started changing because the people just went ahead and did it. And the first European Food Renaissance began.

The South Africans returned to humanity in 1994 when they became independent and the little flame that initiates such energy was lit. They voted, all of them together, for the first time. Everyone wasn’t happy, some people were miserable and many threatened to emigrate somewhere, anywhere, to escape the inevitable. Against all odds and all previous predictions by the brilliant minds of the time, the economy changed and politics started changing because the people just went ahead and did it. And the cross cultural exchange began. Food, also there, became the domain of everyone and after a while they happily accepted recipes and ideas, introduced new things to their families and had real conversations. Simultaneously they began to receive more products from Europe and Asia and America, food that had not been available in their own dark ages. A new industry was born, a passion was re-ignited. And the First South African Food Renaissance began.

Food is the beginning of everything, we need it as we need air to breathe and it brings honesty and, now and again, elicits comment – gentle, purring, loving comment sometimes, yet often loud and filled with passion but always, always full of emotion and honesty. One could wax lyrical about the possibilities that the ‘new’ New World has to create a food industry that surpasses the best that the ‘new’ Old World could offer and the only thing required is imagination and passion and food will always grow, adapt and in the end improve.