Will 'MasterChef' Oz judges still be coming to SA despite leaving hit show?

Fans of MasterChef Australia were shocked on Tuesday when it was announced that all three of the cooking contest's long-reigning judges had left the show.

Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris parted ways with the 'MasterChef' franchise following contract disputes; there's been no word on who will replace the trio for season 12. 

Clearly worried that their local fans would think this news meant they'd no longer be appearing at upcoming Appetite Fest in SA, Gary took to Instagram to reassure them that this wasn't the case.

"George, Matt and I are all coming to Pretoria," said the chef in a video. "It was a massive success and a huge amount of fun last year, so we couldn't say no. And this year we're curating a very special dinner along with cooking demos and master classes."

The former MasterChef judges will be doing several cooking demos during the three-day festival, which you can check out with a general admission ticket (R175 per adult, R60 per child for a day pass).

It's worth noting, however, that in order to get up close and personal with Gary, Matt and George at one of the more intimate special events on offer, you'll need to fork out R2,500 or more.

• The Appetite Fest is on at the Sun Arena @ Times Square from September 13 -15. Tickets at Computicket.