We are thrilled to announce that Our Savor South Africa Gourmet Adventure has been won by Judy Donahue of Riverside, CT. Judy’s flair with words and passion for travel were exactly what we were looking for when we designed the contest. We received over 1400 entries including rhymes, videos, photos and prose. Here are some that we really enjoyed:

• Norman I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.
• In quest of natural wonders and culinary delight…the mystique of South Africa has it just right
• Off to South Africa, soaring above the sea, eyes wide and searching, oh how tall will the giraffe actually be?
• My African dream, culinary delights, safari adventures, unparalleled sights.
• With a spoonful of warm malva pudding in one hand and a glass of Constantia in the other, I told the little tail waggin’ fella to go play with the children…that’s what they’re here for after all
• If I See…(Video Animation)
• The Secret … (Video)
  

And the Winner Is …
Judy won our hearts with her rhyme:

“Adventures in Africa now lie before us — A safari that’s worthy of old Epicurus –Tintswalo Atlantic, Safari, and Waterfall — this dream of a trip begins with your call!“.

Judy received our call yesterday and we were so delighted with her reaction – “I’ve been to Africa four times as a disaster relief nurse for AmeriCares and I always wanted to go back with my husband and explore this beautiful country as a tourist. This will be quite a change from what I’ve experienced in Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, and the Congo. I am so thrilled – this is fantastic!”. And here she is this morning receiving the official prize from Diane, the owner of African Portfolio.

Judy said she plans to take the “dream trip” with her husband in the Fall. The Donahues will begin their Savor South Africa adventure at the intimate Tintswalo at Waterfall hotel outside of Johannesburg. Next day, they fly to Tintswalo Safari Lodge, an exclusive six-suite lodge in the Manyeleti Game Reserve bordering Kruger National Park. The four days at the lodge will include safari drives, walks with the ranger and gourmet dinners every night. The couple will finish their trip by flying to Cape Town where they will spend three nights at the Tintswalo Atlantic, a magnificent lodge situated in the Table Mountain Nature Reserve at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and one of the most dramatic locations in South Africa. The lodge’s chef-manager will give the pair an insider’s view to the local markets, vineyards, and award-winning restaurants.

Check back here to get a full trip report and photos! If you like the sound of this gourmet adventure, we have three culinary safaris that will whet your appetite: Savor South Africa – Afficionado; Savor South Africa – Connoisseur; and Savor South Africa – Epicure.

We firmly believe the Victoria Falls should be on everyone’s “must-see” list when visiting Southern Africa. This mile-wide curtain of thundering, falling water is quite something to behold. As the intrepid Victorian explorer David Livingstone remarked “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight“. With sprays reaching up to 1000 feet in the sky and adorned by multiple permanent rainbows, you can understand his sentiment. You’ll also soon figure out why the local people named the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya (Smoke that Thunders), especially if you visit during the rainy season (March to May).

And if gazing at the Victoria Falls isn’t enough, you can also bungee jump into them; fly over them in a micro-light; raft in the rapids below, and swim right up to the edge of them. What? That’s right, swim! On the Zambian side of the Falls, there’s a shallow pool called “Devil’s Pool” where you can safely (if you’re careful) swim right to the edge of the world’s most impressive waterfall. This is truly the best place to view the Falls from if you have the courage. Devil’s Pool is located on Livingstone Island in the Zambezi River and you get to it by motorboat. Numbers are limited so you need to book this little adventure in advance, and it’s only possible from September to December.

We often get asked if seeing the falls from Zimbabwe is better than from Zambia or vice-versa. We actually like both sides equally, except during the dry season. The view from the Zimbabwe side is better during the height of the dry season because you face the entire length of the falls and still get the full impact of its grandeur. And despite UNESCO’s threats to withdraw its “World Natural Wonder” status, the Victoria Falls will always remain a world wonder, every day of the year. What do politicians know anyway.

Want to visit the Victoria Falls? Yvette will be traveling to the Victoria Falls next week for site inspections, so we’ll soon be updating our fine portfolio of safaris in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

There are quite a few South African chefs dotted around the US, quietly infusing their dishes with typical South African flavors. One of our favorites is Koren Grieveson, who is the Chef de Cuisine at Avec Restaurant in Chicago. Besides creating amazing dishes for Avec, she has made Quesadillas for the Obama family on the White House lawn, and also participated in the Iron Chef TV show.

If you’re dining in and need some inspiration, here’s Koren creating an entire South African Dinner – yum. This really got us in the mood and we wasted more office time looking up other South African recipes on YouTube. We found out how to make Warthog Kebabs; Bunny Chow; Springbok with Apricot Chutney; and Salmon a la Steenberg. A common theme is the South African penchant for mixing meat with fruit whenever possible. It must be one of the few countries where chutney is more popular than ketchup.

And if the chef isn’t South African, the next best thing we look for is a South African who owns their own restaurant. Stanton Du Toit used to be a wine maker in South Africa and now owns The Sojourn Restaurant in New York. The Sojourn serves “small plates” from all over the world, very appropriate since that’s basically the foundation of South African cuisine. We actually like The Sojourn so much we’ve chosen it to be the venue for our next dinner event (more on that later).

Speaking of events, of course the Savor South Africa Contest is drawing to a close, final entries need to be in by March 20th. To find out if you’ve won our Gourmet Safari for two, we’ll be announcing it on Facebook and Twitter, so do sign up.

Just a two weeks left until we announce the winner of our Savor South Africa contest. We’re very excited. And just to prove that South Africa really is the best culinary destination in the world, we wanted to share some of the food and wine festivals taking place in the next few months.

WitblitsFees – March 14-15, 2010

Not for the feint of heart, this little South African festival celebrates Witblits, (white lightning) a South African moonshine. It’s a true Afrikaner gourmet experience with traditional food served along with old-fashioned entertainment on the side. The festival takes place in Philippolis, the oldest town in the Free State. More details…

Tonteldoos Country Festival – April 3, 2010

The Tonteldoos Country Festival is held in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province (home to Kruger National Park). It started life as a Peach Festival in 1996 and has grown into a larger affair with 17 food stalls serving local delicacies and gourmet dishes. More details…

Lambert’s Bay Kreeffees – April 22-24, 2010

Fish lovers unite at this wonderful foodie feast dedicated to the crayfish. Lambert’s Bay is on the Western Cape coast. As well as food and wine, there’s music and bungee jumping. We highly recommend you bungee jump before you eat your crayfish and visit the beer tent. More details…

The South African Cheese Festival – April 24-27, 2010

The South African Cheese Festival brings together food artisans and cheese makers from all over South Africa. All you turophiles out there rejoice, you can eat cheese, make cheese, bake cheese and play with cheese. You’ll get to taste creamy goat cheese, piquant blue cheese, and nutty gruyeres, accompanied with bread, wine, music and other treats. There are lots of attractions geared to both adults and children, so bring the whole family. More details…

Prince Albert Town Olive Festival – and the Riebeek Kasteel Olive Festival, 30 April – 2 May, 2010

You may not be aware of this, but South Africa produces some of the world’s best olive oil and its worth celebrating. You actually have a choice of olive festivals. Prince Albert Town in the Karoo, will celebrate their liquid gold, with food stalls, circus performers and dances. Riebeek, in Western Cape’s Swartland valley, will showcase its famous olives in all their forms, along with lots of other gourmet delicacies, Swartland wine and music. More details about: Prince Albert’s Olive festival, and Riebeek’s Olive festival.

Cape Gourmet Festival – May 13-16, 2010

The Good Food and Wine Show comes to Cape Town once a year along with a host of celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsey, Willie Harcourt-Cooze, and Anjum Anand. The show will be held in the Cape Town International Convention Center. Nine state-of-the-art kitchens will be set up with a world-class chef working their magic at each station. You can taste, watch and learn from the gourmet experts at hand. There will be experts blending wine, making beer, tasting teas and an entire theater dedicated to chocolate. Yum. More details…

Sorry to say, we just missed the Prickly Pear Festival in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, but check this site for 2011 dates! And if you can’t make it to a particular festival, many of South Africa’s towns have fresh, organic markets serving fantastic food every weekend. Ask us about them when you book your culinary tour to South Africa!