A unique culinary and design experience, the Gourmet Theatre will feature the remarkable talents of Chefs Luke Dale-Roberts of The Test Kitchen, Reuben Riffel of Reuben’s Restaurant, and David Higgs of The Saxon Hotel. Each will present their signature dishes for lunch and dinner sittings catering to only 42 guests at a time. Artlogic, a Johannesburg-based intellectual-property company that creates branding platforms is curating the food, design, art and furniture aspects of the Gourmet Theatre.

“MasterCard and Artlogic have collaborated with Luke, Reuben and David to create this priceless experience that epitomises our premium card, World MasterCard,” says Mark Hearne, vice president, marketing and communications, South Africa, MasterCard Worldwide. “It characterises our promise of preferential access to a range of priceless experiences that are available to World MasterCard cardholders by invitation only.”

The FoodWineDesign Fair is the second setting for the Gourmet Theatre, with MasterCard having launched this unique concept at the Johannesburg Cap Classique and Champagne Festival in August.

“The Fair is the perfect venue for the Gourmet Theatre, attracting South Africans who want to experience the best in local cuisine, leading boutique wines, and who want to furnish their living spaces with the works of top South African designers and artists,” said Hearne.

Crockery for the Gourmet Theatre has been commissioned from artisanal potter Tessa Gawith, and Katherine Glenday will supply bespoke water tumblers. The specially crafted oak tables, benches and chairs will be supplied by James Mudge Furniture Studios, and will be adorned with linen by Skinny laMinx creator, Heather Moore.

Artist Beezy Bailey has created a special edition of artworks entitled “Buckshot”, in line with the culinary themes of the Gourmet Theatre, and in keeping with the extraordinary quality of the concept, the chefs teams will weave their magic in a high-end custom-built kitchen created by The Culinary Equipment Company.

“The Gourmet Theatre is an exceptional showcase of South Africa’s finest culinary talent,” continues Hearne. “We have briefed the chefs to craft meals that will take our guests on a remarkable journey of locally inspired tastes and flavours, presenting top end superior quality food in a novel and exciting environment.”

Seats at the Gourmet Theatre presented by MasterCard at the FoodWineDesign Fair are primarily reserved for World MasterCard cardholders, but limited tickets are available to members of the public at R800 per person for selected lunch and dinner sittings with tickets available for purchase at www.webtickets.co.za.

The Gourmet Theatre presented by MasterCard will make its next much anticipated appearance in the Western Cape at the Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival from Friday, 30 November to Sunday, 2 December.