The countdown to the inaugural Chefs & Chenin Festival officially gets underway today as some of the festival’s featured chefs take over the Kaya 959 studio for a live cooking activation, giving listeners their first taste of the food, fire, and flavour that will define the festival on 26 and 27 September.
Chef Mahalia Jackson, Jacques Venter, Chef Tebogo Morgan, and Saviour Moyo will be bringing their culinary skills to Kaya 959, cooking live on air and giving audiences a preview of what they can expect when Chefs & Chenin takes over Crawford International Sandton College later this month.
The Kaya 959 activation is the first major taste of a festival created around two things South Africans love – food cooked over fire and a great glass of Chenin Blanc.
“This is where the Chefs & Chenin journey begins. We’re taking the chefs into the Kaya 959 studio first, letting listeners hear the stories behind the food, experience the energy of the chefs and get a taste of what is coming. Then, on 26 and 27 September, we take that experience to the festival grounds. Today is about creating that first connection. You hear the sizzle, you hear the chefs, you hear what they are planning – and then you come and experience it for yourself,” says the festival team.
FROM THE KAYA 959 STUDIO TO THE FESTIVAL FIRE
Today’s live cooking activation is more than a promotional preview. It sets the tone for what Chefs & Chenin is about – bringing people closer to chefs, food and the stories behind what is on the plate.
The chefs appearing on Kaya 959 represent different culinary journeys and styles, from Argentine-inspired live-fire cooking and South African fusion to fine dining and decades of experience creating food for major events and discerning guests.
Their appearance gives Kaya 959 listeners a first-hand taste of the creativity that will come together at Crawford International Sandton College.
And this is only the beginning.
On 26 and 27 September, guests will be able to experience the chefs in their element, cooking over live fire at a series of pop-up restaurants created specifically for the festival.
A FESTIVAL BUILT AROUND FIRE, FOOD AND CHENIN
Chefs & Chenin is an exclusive, limited-ticket culinary and wine festival celebrating open-fire cooking and South Africa’s beloved Chenin Blanc.
The concept is simple but ambitious – put exceptional chefs around an open flame, bring great wine into the conversation and create an environment where people can eat, taste, explore and connect.
General access tickets include a tasting meal at a pop-up restaurant of the guest’s choice, allowing festival-goers to choose their culinary experience and discover the individual styles of participating chefs.
The festival will also feature curated Chenin Blanc tastings, giving wine lovers an opportunity to explore the versatility of the variety alongside food cooked over fire.
“Fire changes food. It changes the way chefs cook, the way people gather and the way a meal feels,” says the festival team. “Chefs & Chenin is about celebrating that experience while putting the spotlight on the incredible chefs and producers who make our food culture so exciting.”
Once guests have eaten, there is plenty more to explore.
Chefs & Chenin will feature a Harvest Market, giving visitors an opportunity to browse and discover local products and food offerings.
Live music will create the soundtrack to the weekend, while an exclusive kids entertainment zone ensures younger festival-goers are part of the experience too.
Kids admission includes a meal, making the festival an experience families can enjoy together.
The result is a festival that moves beyond the traditional food event – part culinary experience, part wine discovery and part social gathering.
Based in Cape Town, Juan Andres Vais has spent more than two decades perfecting the art of cooking over fire.
Originally from Argentina, Vais says he left his home country more than 20 years ago, but Argentina never left him. His culinary philosophy is deeply rooted in the gaucho tradition – patience, smoke, heat and the theatre of cooking over an open flame.
Through African Gaucho, he has transformed that passion into a distinctive South African culinary experience.
For Vais, fire is not simply a cooking technique. It is a language.
Everything goes over the fire in his kitchen, from starters and mains to desserts.
One of his most ambitious projects saw him roast an entire Ankole cow over live fire for 170 guests. He transported a custom rotisserie from Cape Town and worked for three days with barely any sleep to deliver a feast on a scale rarely attempted in South Africa.
At Chefs & Chenin, Vais brings the spirit of the gaucho and the spectacle of live-fire cooking to the festival.
TEBOGO MORGAN – CRAVINGS, GOURMET RAINBOW CUISINE
Born in Mthatha and raised in Johannesburg, Chef Tebogo Morgan brings both parts of his story into his cooking.
After completing an International Chef Management Diploma at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Cape Town, Morgan established CRAVINGS, Gourmet Rainbow Cuisine.
His cooking draws inspiration from across the culinary world, combining Asian spice and Mediterranean flavours with the intensity of open-fire cooking.
He calls his approach “Fire & Fusion”.
Morgan has catered intimate dinners as well as major events for hundreds of people, building a culinary style that celebrates different cultures coming together around food.
At Chefs & Chenin, Morgan and his team will bring that philosophy to the flame.
JACQUES VENTER – PICK N PAY ON NICOL / THYME
Johannesburg-born Jacques Venter started cooking professionally in 2003, but his love for food began much earlier.
His first food memory is potato skins covered in a generous amount of All Gold tomato sauce – a simple childhood moment that would eventually lead to a career spanning fine dining, hotels, large-scale events and retail.
Venter began as a commis chef at The Castle Kyalami, working across an à la carte restaurant, boutique hotel and functions catering for up to 500 people. It was also where he met his wife, who is also a chef.
He later moved to Forum Homini’s Roots restaurant in Kromdraai, working with fine-dining six-course tasting menus at a restaurant recognised among South Africa’s top establishments at the time.
His career took him to Coco C in Bloemfontein, where chocolate was incorporated into both savoury and sweet dishes, before returning to Johannesburg in 2010.
At the Radisson Blu Sandton, Venter worked through the ranks to become Executive Sous Chef while overseeing major functions and Taste of Joburg during the World Cup era.
After a stint at Ground in Muldersdrift, he joined the Pick n Pay group in 2019 as a Food Specialist at Pick n Pay on Nicol and Thyme restaurant.
With experience ranging from fine dining to mass catering and retail, Venter brings a broad understanding of food and hospitality to Chefs & Chenin.
MAHALIA JACKSON – ADDED TOUCH CATERING & EVENTS
With more than three decades in the culinary industry, Executive Chef Mahalia Jackson brings experience, entrepreneurial energy and a passion for hospitality to Chefs & Chenin.
Jackson is the Managing Director of Added Touch Catering & Events, which she has led since 2005. Over the course of her career, she has curated exceptional dining experiences, managed major corporate events and trained culinary professionals.
Her influence extends beyond the kitchen. She is also an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, life coach and industry thought leader who combines culinary artistry with business expertise.
Jackson has worked on major brand launches and VIP gatherings and has served guests including former President Nelson Mandela, former President Thabo Mbeki and international diplomats.
She is the author of Dare to Dream, a recipe book and memoir that received an African Authors Award in the Food Category.
Her career has also included food editing, workshops on the Art of Entertaining and mentoring within the culinary industry.
She is currently pursuing a Diploma in Diet & Nutrition, further exploring the relationship between food, health and wellness.
At Chefs & Chenin, Jackson brings more than 30 years of culinary knowledge to an experience centred on food, people and celebration.
SAVIOUR MOYO
Saviour Moyo, based in Johannesburg and associated with Saint Restaurant Sandton, is also part of the chef line-up bringing his culinary perspective to Chefs & Chenin.
His participation adds another dimension to a diverse chef line-up that celebrates different approaches to cooking and hospitality.
Further information on Moyo and additional participating chefs will be released as part of the festival’s media programme.
A TASTE TODAY. THE FULL EXPERIENCE IN SEPTEMBER.
Today’s Kaya 959 live cooking activation marks the first public taste of Chefs & Chenin.
For listeners, it is an opportunity to meet some of the chefs, hear their stories and get a sense of the flavours they will bring to the festival.
For those who want to go beyond the radio and experience the food first-hand, the next stop is Crawford International Sandton College.
On 26 and 27 September, the chefs will step out of the Kaya 959 studio and onto the festival grounds, where open flames, pop-up restaurants, Chenin Blanc, music and entertainment will come together for a weekend dedicated to good food and great experiences.
“The studio is the first bite,” says the festival team. “The real feast happens at Chefs & Chenin.”
CHEFS & CHENIN AT A GLANCE
Event: Chefs & Chenin Festival
Dates: 26-27 September 2026
Venue: Crawford International Sandton College
Presented in partnership with: Kaya 959
Experience includes: Live-fire cooking, tasting meals, pop-up restaurants, curated Chenin Blanc tastings, Harvest Market, live music and a kids entertainment zone.
Kids admission includes a meal.
