Chronicle Editor
Millicent Andile Dube
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It’s that time again when the city comes alive with the hosting of the much-loved Munch & Sip, a food and lifestyle event.
The event that has become a must-attend, attracting people from outside the city is returning to the Criterion Parks in Burnside on Sunday.
Afro-Fusion band Mokoomba from Victoria Falls alongside local Band Fusion, Keezy AM, Asgton T and DJs Possenti, Just Drey, Danubie, and Sibbs Apollo are set to keep attendees entertained.
The event which has been running for a couple of years has grown tremendously with food stalls often getting overwhelmed due to the high volumes of people. This time around, organisers of the event have assured attendees that food will be the order of the day.
“We intend to make the event live up to its name, Munch & Sip. Therefore, the event will be centred on food, instead of making the event, just a ‘turn up’ joint,” said the event’s organiser, Mandipa Masuku in a recent interview.
Running under the moniker “Food is our community”, Masuku said the plan is to give home-grown chefs from Bulawayo a platform to execute their culinary skills.
“Our plan is to have Bulawayo’s home-grown chefs get a platform to showcase their culinary skills and present a variety of dishes that will be great for the taste buds. There’ll also be an inclusion of traditional foods that will be prepared alongside the fancy dishes,” she said.
The plan is to also have a cook-off competition on the day with the best cook set to be rewarded, but from past editions, it has proved problematic to run this competition due to the high volumes of people. However, it is hoped that this year the event curators will be able to pull it off.
To prepare people for the event, organisers recently shared the list of chefs and service providers that will cater to people’s needs on Sunday for the convenience of patrons.
On the core business, which is food, people will be spoilt for choice this time around as there will be close to 30 stalls to choose from. Among these is Dip Street with an East African Cuisine, Lupane Veggie Sauce with a mix of traditional foods and chilli sauces, Spikey MS which will be serving everything summer from cocktails to ice cream, Smoothie on the run (Smoothies with a twist alcoholic and non-alcoholic), Gummy Bear Kings with Infused gummy bears, Kandy City with various treats and goodies, Sweet Gaterie with desserts and sweets, Nduna Burgers, Moja Pizza with wood-fried pizzas, Food Bandits with all-American hotdogs, burgers and sandwiches and Pretty Little Chefs with an Afro-Carribean vibe.
Chronicle Showbiz caught up with some of the companies that will be setting up food stalls at the event.
Among these was Dip Street by Samantha who will be serving East African cuisine. This will be their second time at Munch & Sip. They will be serving Africa’s most common dish, isitshwala but with a twist. They will be serving Ugali (Sub-Saharan Africa’s version of isitshwala) with Beef Kwasakwasa.
“We’ll be serving Ugali which is popularly known in Zimbabwe as isitshwala. Ours consists of a variety of ingredients such as mealie-meal, carrots and butter, whereas our beef kwasakwasa is a mixture of cow head, tripe and cow feet seasoned with spices and vegetables,” said Samantha Dube, Dip Street’s head chef.
Also on their menu is Chapati Taco, a Mexican classic.
“The tortilla in this case is our Kenyan Chapati made from local flour. Ours will be full of vegetables and meat and has all the characteristics of a good taco.”
Back by public demand will be the Chicken Shaki which sent tongues wagging at the last edition.
This Nigerian delicacy is a mixture of chicken tripe, feet and necks seasoned with our best homemade and secret spices and garnished.
Chef Shurah on the other hand, will give the regular burgers a twist.
“We replace the patties with fish cakes, prawns and crab cakes. The idea of using seafood is to make the burger less fatty, but at the same time, tasty and worth trying out. We’ll also consider the people that don’t eat fish, in that case, we’ll use the regular patties but with a twist of whisky infused in the meat,” Chef Shurah said.
What is a food festival without drinks? Well, Comrades Bar will be in charge of making cocktails with craft beer on tap.
The company has seemingly gone all out to make nature-based cocktails by using some traditional fruit extracts from trees such as the baobab. They will be serving exotic flavours, some infused with home-grown fruits. Mocktails such as Tropicana, Rock shandy and Malawi Shandy alongside the famous Jägermeister 2.0, Matobo Blue will be served.
Keeping beverages cold during the duration of the festival has proved problematic for most as their ice ran out. This time, that is set to be a thing of the past as Chiliz Ice will be on standby with ice blocks.
People are in for a real treat as there will be other stalls that will be catering for other activities. Content creators or those that love to keep memories will have a lot of fun as Dreamworld will have a 360 video experience service at their stall.
Those who love art will be treated to a Sip and paint experience with experienced facilitators at the Art Imagined stall. This will be accompanied by great conversations and company.
Basically, this edition is promising to have something for everyone ensuring that people are kept entertained during the duration of the event.
Munch & Sip is held three times a year, April, August and December with the December edition usually being the most attended due to the festive holiday. However, with the city already buzzing because of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair which begins next week, the April edition is promising to attract huge crowds as well.
Below is a list of must-haves and essentials for Munch & Sip:
1. Dry throats and stomachs (be ready to munch and sip)
2. Dance Shoes
3. Camp Chairs
4. Fanny Pack
5. Friends/family
6. Power Bank
7. Eye Wear (sunglasses)
However, all we can tell you is that it is critical to dress well as a cameraperson will be on standby and can capture you at any moment, so you do not want to find yourself trending on the city’s noticeboard.
Online Reporter