4 reasons not to miss the Cape Town street food festival

Woodstock will be the place to be this weekend for the Cape Town leg of the Visa Street Food Festival. 

We've rounded up four highlights:

1. FOOD STUDIO CONFERENCE

This one-day conference aims to change the way we think about food.

ExperGreat food, workshops and talks from the likes of Sarah Keough and Tommy Werner of Put A Egg On It, an irreverent New York magazine about food and cooking.

Contributors to the magazine include writers, poets, musicians and artists, and the recipes are gathered from chefs, artists, grandmothers and friends, each telling the story of the creation of a dish.

• The conference is taking place atWorkshop 17 at the V&A Waterfront on Thursday, August 31, from 8.30am to 6.30pm. Tickets, R1,300, are available from Web Tickets.

2. THE VENDORS

The weekend markets will boast more than 30 street food stalls. They range from The Nob (No Ordinary Burger), Grub (deep-fried macaroni cheese balls) and It's Not Made in China (water in bottles you'll want to keep) to The Knickerbocker Ice Cream Company and The Wicked Waffle.

• The festival is taking place at Side Street Studios, 48 Albert Road, Woodstock, from 5pm to 9pm on Saturday, September 2, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, September 3. Tickets, R50, are available at Web Tickets.

3. CRATE TALKS

10 food experts will hold forth during the Saturday and Sunday markets.

They include Ming-Cheau Lin, who blogs at butterfingers.co.za; Dawood Petersen, who has taken a taste of the Bo-Kaap to Melville in Joburg with his Mamasan Eatery; and Nobhongo Gxolo, whose monthly food club, Third Culture Experiment, offers professionals a chance to meet and enjoy a three-course meal.

• Talks free for ticket holders.

4. CONVIVIUM BLOCK PARTY

Convivium co-founder Andy Fenner, of Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants, joined by Ivor Jones from Chefs Warehouse, Ryan Cole from The Test Kitchen, Chris Erasmus from Foliage and Arno Janse van Rensburg from Maison Restaurant.

"They're cooking things like tripe potjies, offal samoosas and really using cheap and forgotten ingredients," said Fenner.

Money raised will go to Abalimi Bezekhaya, which supports community and home gardens throughout the Cape Flats.

• The block party is taking place at Side Street Studios on Sunday. Cost, R50 on top of ticket price.

• The Johannesburg leg of the festival will be hosted at Common Ground in Maboneng on September 10. Visit streetfoodfestival.co.za.

• This article was originally published in The Times.