News & Media

Chafing dishes have been around since the 16th century. In those days, they were specifically used for preparing dishes that required gentle cooking, such as fish, eggs and cream. Silver chafing dishes with fine wooden handles were made in the late 19th century, when "chafing-dish suppers" became fashionable. The 1880s even saw specialised chafing-dish cookbooks being published, such as Fannie Farmer’s Chafing Dish Possibilities, which appeared in Boston in 1898.

Today, the only chafing dishes most of us are familiar with are the shiny stainless steel variety adorning buffet tables. Suspended over a heat source, they keep food warm, not anymore at the SCC.

Good news for buffet guests everywhere is that chafing dishes are coming full circle, and the Sandton Convention Centre is leading the way in South Africa. Having spotted the new equipment at a food show in Singapore, executive chef, Sean Riley, ensured that the SCC is the first venue in the country to boast the new generation dishes. The first shipment of 40 arrived in November last year and was introduced to SCC guests in February 2009.

Chefs in the limelight
Thanks to the addition of an induction heat unit, the new dishes do much more than simply keeping food warm. Chef Riley explains: “Heated by the induction units, our new dishes are designed to make live cooking at a buffet table possible. Instead of keeping fully cooked food warm, we will in future use the chafing dishes to do the last 20-30% of the cooking in front of the guests.” No longer confined to behind the scenes, the SCC’s chefs will find themselves front-of-house when serving a buffet.

Apart from adding a touch of style to the ordinary buffet, the improved new dishes will also benefit buffet food in terms of taste, freshness and presentation. Glass lids and a self-closing vacuum mechanism will help to keep food fresher for longer. “Guests no longer have to open the lid to see what’s inside and when they neglect to replace the lid, the dish does it for them,” says Chef Riley.

The SCC has also updated its menus in 2009, offering a variety of recipies that cater for all culinary tastes and needs.

Editor’s note:

Sandton Convention Centre is a multi award-winning venue, located in the heart of Sandton’s hotel, business and entertainment district. The centre offers easy access to more than 5 000 hotel rooms (ranging from economy to deluxe), is adjacent to some of the country’s premium shopping and entertainment complexes (Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square), and provides 10 600 secure parking bays.

Sandton Convention Centre offers unlimited potential with over 22 000m² of state-of-the-art meeting, exhibition and special event space. Purpose-built to international standards, the convention centre is able to host meetings, conferences, exhibitions and special events of virtually any size and nature. It offers some of the most advanced technology available for convention and exhibition centres anywhere in the world. Multiple events can be staged simultaneously on four main levels, and 10 000 visitors can be accommodated at any one time. A team of highly trained staff is on hand to provide support services.

Its central position in Sandton provides easy access to Johannesburg International Airport, the Sandton CBD, major hotels and shopping centres.
Sandton Convention Centre is managed by Southern Sun Hotel Interests and was developed by Tsogo Sun, a dynamic partnership between Southern Sun, Africa’s leading hotel group, and Tsogo Sun Investments, a leading black empowerment group.

For further media information, please contact:

Lilane Swanepoel – Baird’s Renaissance, on (011) 504-4000 / Cell : 083 255 6771
e-mail : lilane@bairds.co.za