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If you have been craving for a decadent high tea served in a luxurious garden setting, then I have good news for you!
A drool-worthy collaboration between two bespoke brands, The Winston Hotel and Just Teddy Fine Boulangerie & Pâtisserie, has resulted in a high tea experience with a curated menu that will raise the bar in the high tea sector to new heights.
Jo’burgers will be familiar with the Just Teddy brand, who also have a busy restaurant in Hyde Park Corner. I’ve been before and enjoyed a beautiful lunch. But now you can experience their famous high tea in the tranquil garden setting of The Winston Hotel.
Commencing the weekend of 29 October, High Tea by Just Teddy will be served in two sittings every Saturday and Sunday for a limited time only at The Winston Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg. This unique partnership between the Millat Investments owned hotel and Just Teddy in an ideal, classic hotel setting is synonymous with the best high tea venues globally. This high-end “pop-up” style experience breaks new ground in developing unique high tea experiences with quality beverages and food within a classic, indoor / outdoor setting.
Served in the lounge area / courtyard of The Winston Hotel, this curated high tea menu by Just Teddy is a fitting farewell to The Winston as we know it. In June 2022, Millat Investments acquired The Winston Hotel and signed an agreement with Hyatt Hotels that will see The Winston Hotel rebranded to the luxury Park Hyatt brand. Extensive refurbishment is scheduled to commence at the beginning of December, and the hotel will officially re-open as the Park Hyatt Johannesburg in early 2023.
Cinematographer Tom Fitz stands semi-submerged in the ocean waters of Biscayne National Park, filming the bird life and the surrounding mangrove coastline landscape. (photo credit: National Geographic/Phoebe Fitz)
Do you want to feast your eyes on some of the best programming and content that is due to arrive on screen this summer? I was one of 50 selected media to join a live stream today, to showcase National Geographic’s new slate of programmes in the coming weeks. As a surprise, we were honoured to have none other than Bear Grylls, as a special guest, who answered questions about his National Geographic show called “Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge.”
TheWalt Disney Company Africa announced the upcoming content slate for both National Geographic and National Geographic Wild for Spring/Summer 2022, with channels that now broadcast in high-definition. With a promise to ignite the explorer in all of us, and with a 133-year legacy, viewers across the continent will also be able to immerse themselves in the very latest and ground-breaking storytelling in stunning high definition for the very first time, taking them further than ever before.
Featuring the best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers and filmmakers in the world, the coming months’ content highlights offer something for everyone, as several new natural history series, feature documentaries, and programming stunts, will showcase the wonder of the natural world, take them on exhilarating adventures and illuminate historical figures who epitomize the strength and triumphs of humankind.
Last week I attended the media launch of La Parada Tapas Bar in The Firs Centre, Rosebank, Johannesburg. It was a colourful night, filled with ladies in feathers and lots of food and drinks!
La Parada has about 8 branches nationally with Rosebank being the most recent launch. It is known for its tapas, which is an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine. Tapas may be cold or hot. In some bars and restaurants in Spain and across the globe, tapas have evolved into a more sophisticated cuisine. Tapas can be combined to make a full meal and it is a social type of cuisine, ideal for sharing. We were able to taste a selection of the tapas, that were served by waiters floating around the floor. The prawns were my favourite, followed by the tantalising pizzas and sliders.
I attended Comic Con Africa for the first time in 2019 and what an experience it was! Check out some images and footage from the 2019 expo here, here and here.
It looks like this year’s Comic Con Africa is going to be bigger and better than ever, so get all the details of what to expect below.
Comic Con Africa, Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture and gaming festival, which is taking place from 22-25 September 2022 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, has announced another exciting addition to the event this year: StreamerCon– the place to celebrate and experience all of the online magic and wonder in real life.
Geared towards celebrating digital creators, platform innovators, and their fans all in one place – StreamerCon is bringing together everything that is a part of creating, watching, and promoting video content. More than that, StreamerCon will be the hub for creators to expand their reach, collaborations to spark, and for aspiring content creators to be guided by industry veterans.
Comic Con Africa’s Show Director, Carla Massmann, expressed her elation at the addition of StreamerCon by saying that local content creators are at the core of planning and bringing StreamerCon to life.
“We’ve seen the growth and talent of South African streamers – and want to offer these very talented individuals an opportunity to be celebrated.” Massmann added. “The influencer today is very different to what it was. Content creators today are the micro-influencers who drive exceptional engagement through niche communities.”
“In the past year Comic Con Africa has worked to give local streamers and content creators a platform to promote themselves and we believe that now more than ever it is an imperative new addition to the show.”
StreamerCon aims to create awareness around the world-class local content creators irrelevant of their platform – be it Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, or anything else.
In 2021, Comic Con Africa launched Streamer Takeovers which allowed members of the South African streaming community to showcase themselves on Comic Con Africa’s Twitch channel. After engaging with this community, that displays great passion and comradery, Comic Con Africa has set out to highlight content creators – established and upcoming – across the continent.
StreamerCon is also excited to welcome streaming software companies, tech brands, high performance software and systems, peripherals, and components, streaming equipment, streaming and recording software, video editing and design software, vlogging kits, as well as so much more.
Follow *StreamerCon on Twitter to get the latest updates and see the website for more information on attending and exhibiting.
Comic Con Africa returns bigger, better – and safer – than ever in 2022
Comic Con Africa 2022 is the ultimate pop-culture and gaming festival in Africa, and the biggest of its kind offering something for everyone in the pop culture space. With tickets on sale since December 2021, the festival is set to take place during the traditional Comic Con month of September, from the 22nd to the 25th. Ticket sales have been staggered into a phased approach to ensure the control of capacity as well as being of benefit to the early birds who buy their tickets in the early phases.
Below are some images from when I attended Comic Con Africa in 2019:
The team at Comic Con Africa HQ have spent the past two years performing the necessary due diligence to ensure that the event in 2022 will be bigger, better and safer than ever before – with the strictest of Covid protocols and measures in place, to ensure peace of mind for all attendees and vendors.
Comic Con Africa 2022 will see more activations and international talent, and in order to accommodate this growth (and social distancing measures) the event has found a new home – the Johannesburg Expo Centre at Nasrec. This venue boasts a capacity that is a great size for the anticipated 80 000 plus visitors, while still offering further growth potential for years to come with its extensive indoor and outdoor areas.
The show floor will play host to international celebrities, the best in gaming and gear, Artist Alley, pop culture merch, table top games, and of course the highly anticipated Cosplay Competitions alongside various activations leading up to the event. Not only is this a pop culture playground for enthusiasts and professionals, but there will also be the KidsCon edition, creating a space for the entire family to enjoy the ultimate day out!
Brands and individuals interested in exhibiting at Comic Con Africa 2022 can contact info@comicconafrica.co.za.
Tickets for the festival and more information can be found on the official Comic Con Africa website.
For the latest Comic Con Africa 2022 news and updates, be sure to connect online:
If you have never heard of Comic Con, here’s what it’s all about:
Comic Con Africa is Africa’s largest multi-genre pop-culture, gaming and fan festival.
The festival features a large range of pop culture and entertainment elements including cosplay, comic books, anime, manga, tech, film and series, gaming (including video, mobile and esports) toys, gadgets, clothing, collectible card games, fantasy/sci-fi books and authors as well as the ever-popular Artists’ Alley. The inaugural 2018 event welcomed over 42 000 visitors (ABC Audited) and 2019 saw over 70 000. In 2019 KidsCon was a new addition to the festival, allowing for the festival to be the ultimate family day out with loads of activities for all to enjoy. A single Comic Con Africa ticket gets you access to both Cons at Johannesburg Expo Centre NASREC on 22 – 25 September 2022. (www.comicconafrica.co.za)
Comic Con Africa is owned by Reed Exhibitions (Pty) Ltd and used under license by Mogull Media Proprietary Limited.
As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, Hyatt South Africa are getting into the spirit of this auspicious month, launching an Iftaar and Suhoor offering for the duration of the fasting period.
I attended the launch last night at Hyatt House in Melrose, Johannesburg and you can view my TikTok video about this event here or below.
The buffet offering will be available to inhouse guests and local patrons at all properties in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Last year, the Hyatt Regency Cape Town, ran with an Iftaar buffet that proved to be a huge success.
“We were encouraged and pleased by the response we had last year and felt that it was necessary to continue with this offering again and build on it,” explained Asif Raza, Cluster General Manager for Hyatt South Africa.
“With two more properties added to the portfolio, we are now pleased to offer guests Suhoor and Iftaar at all three properties and look forward to sharing their Ramadan experience with them.”
Raza promises guests a tantalizing buffet menu.
“Our food and beverage team led by recently appointed specialty chef, Asif Mughal, have curated a delicious yet versatile menu that will include Arabic, Indian, Pakistani and South African dishes in the form of salads, hot and cold starters, main meals, desserts and traditional Ramadan beverages,” said Raza.
Chef Asif Mughal
The Iftaar buffet at Hyatt House Johannesburg Rosebank and Hyatt House Johannesburg Sandton will cost R275 per person with children between 6 and 12 years of age paying R150 and children under 6 eating free.
The Iftaar buffet at Hyatt Regency Cape Town will cost R299 per person with children between 6 and 12 years of age paying R150 and children under 6 eating free.
The Suhoor buffet will cost R150 per person at all three properties. For guests staying at the hotel, this cost is included in the room rate.
Guests requesting privacy during the Iftaar buffet or looking for spaces that can accommodate groups can contact the hotels directly with their requests.
“We have wonderful spaces at all three of our hotels that will make for a great private dining experience. At our Sandton property, we have the Treehouse; in Rosebank we have the spectacular rooftop View overlooking Johannesburg and in Cape Town we have the Pool Terrace, Regency Club Lounge and private conferencing venues that can be converted to dining spaces.” concluded Raza.
Guests can visit the following Hyatt hotels to experience the Iftaar and Suhoor offerings:
Mzansi Life & Style by Mishkah Roman-Cassiem 