Sunday Times Food Show BBC Chefs
PRESS RELEASE
19 MARCH 2007

The Sunday Times in association with Pick and Pay and in partnership with the BBC and DSTV are hosting the outrageously camp and over-the-top Reza Mahammad and the equally over-the-top Ainsley Harriott, one of the UK's most popular food personalities at the Sunday Times Food Show in July. Foodies love to argue the merits of TV chefs and two of them that garner the most "absolutely love them or hate them" responses have to be Ainsley and Reza.

Flamboyant, fabulous, camp and outlandish are but a few of the adjectives used to describe these two famous BBC Food chefs who are guaranteed to draw huge crowds of fans at the Sunday Times Food show in association with Pick and Pay to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 5 to 8 July 2007. The four-day eating experience offers the public a unique chance to nibble and sip their way through a range of culinary delights, watch these celebrity chefs in action as well as participate in workshops and demonstrations

Owner of award winning restaurant "Star of India" in London, Reza Mahammad has engaged and enraged audiences with his presentational style that combines a peacock preening and trilling with a deep knowledge of Indian cuisine. Having inherited his dad's restaurant over 27 years ago, he transformed the restaurant into a highly rated food experience with the emphasis on lighter Indian cuisine.

From his first United States of Reza, a giggly, "oh my god journey" in a pink Cadillac across the US to Delhi Belly, Coconut Coast and A Place in France, Reza has a knack for engaging astounded locals in all kinds of shenanigans. Nothing was more hilarious than watching Reza flirt with fishermen on the backwaters of Kerala or cook up a storm with straight-laced Indian chefs that frequently involved a lot of nudge wink wink "join me for a drink" as the sun sets banter. While relatively new to the TV chef scene, Reza Mohamed is a seasoned chef with a refreshingly different approach. His frivolous style coupled with an open, fun-loving approach to food makes him a delight.

As delightful is Ainsley Harriott, a BBC Food Channel stalwart and a Britain institution having been consistently voted his country's favorite chef and personality. An early passion for food, comedy and singing was to shape his chosen career. An entertainer at heart, Ainsley Harriott was one half of a musical comedy duo "The Calypso Twins" which was a huge hit on the London Comedy circuit. But his equal passion for food led to a television chef career that began as the resident cook on BBC TV's "Good Morning with Anne and Nick". This led to Ready Steady Cook and a host of prime time solo television series including "Can't Cook, Wont Cook, Barbeque Bible; Ainsley's Meals in Minutes, Party of a Lifetime, Ainsley's Big Cook Out, Gourmet Express, Off the Menu and many other prime time specials like "50 Things to Eat Before You Die".

The hip-rolling, lip-smacking Ainsley is a No 1 best selling author and to date has published over twelve books that have sold more than two million worldwide with co-editions in Dutch, Danish and even Slovenian! His riotous personality means that he is in demand all over the world at live events, cooking shows and food fairs. During the food show, he will be conducting a Master Class on what it takes to be come a TV Chef. As one of the most successful television chefs of all time, this class has potential to significantly contribute to the growth of our own "food show programming".

Susan Russell, Advertising and Marketing Manager of Johncom Media believes that the combination of Reza Mahammad and Ainsley Harriott is an inspired one. For more information on the Sunday Times Food Show, got to www.sundaytimes.co.za/heritage