PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The fourth edition of the increasingly popular Plett Food & Film Festival is set to dish up a little extra this year.

Over and above a packed programme filled with world-class movies and cuisine to match, this year will mark the first “side menu”, with two additional events hosted by local restaurants.

The festival – which takes place between July 10 and 12 this year, is a first of its kind in Africa and showcases top notch films which explore food and everything that goes along with it. To add to the experience these films are then followed by gourmet culinary presentations, linked to the film.

This year is no different and chefs will retell the stories of the highlighted feature films through exquisitely prepared meals, featuring the finest local ingredients.

The festival attracts some of the world’s top foodies for its presentations and the guest list have, over the past three events, included the likes of television chef and owner of one of London’s top restarurants Reza Mahammad – known as the UK’s Spice Prince – and celebrated chef, restaurant owner and author Karen Dudley. Last year also saw a presentation by DIY YouTube sensation Suzelle.

This year the main attraction will be celebrity chef and radio personality Jenny Morris who is well-known as South Africa’s “Giggling Gourmet”.

Organisers have however added some extra entertainment and food in a run-up to and after the main event.

On July 6, 2017 Plett’s popular beachfront restaurant The Fat Fish will be showing Jiro Dreams of Sushi – a stunning documentary detailing the culinary art of 85-year-old Jiro Ono – a proprietor of a 10-seater sushi only restaurant in the Tokyo subway. The restaurant was the first of its kind to be awarded a 3 star Michelin review.

The screening of the documentary – directed by David Gelb – will be followed by “a fat Asian feast” which promises a “highly entertaining sushi demonstration” by local chef Francois Ferreira who will give a South African take on Japanese cuisine.

The Way, which was inspired by his son and stars his father, is dedicated to his grandfather and was written and directed by himself. It’s a sweet and sincere family pilgrimage and the story involves a California doctor named Tom (played by Martin Sheen), whose son Daniel dies while attempting to complete the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) – a centuries-old pilgrimage over Spanish mountain country to the Cathedral de Santiago.

The food for the evening will prepared by creative and talented chef, Alex Oliver and proceeds will go to the Plett StreetSmart programme.

The main event will kick off on July 10, 2017 with the film Katrina followed by traditional Cape cuisine prepared by the Nguni Restaurant team. The food will be paired with a selection of Plett wines.

The following evening there will be a showing of the movie Tangerines followed by Mandarin Absolut Vodka drinks and a feast of simple soup, bread, cheese, pickles and delicious desserts.

Morris will end the event off by preparing a magnificent feast filled with the aromatic and unique flavours of Morocco after the showing of the movie Casablanca.

Tickets for the main event and My Way are available from the Plett Tourism office and on Quicket. For more information, visit www.pletttourism.com.