NOSH “Odd Box Picnic”
21 March 2021 – Human Rights Day
Victoria Yards, Lorentzville

On Sunday, 21 March, NOSH Food Rescue NPC is presenting its first “Odd Box Picnic” event at the acclaimed Victoria Yards development in Lorentzville, Johannesburg. Victoria Yards is the home of the Makers Valley Partnership’s Food Hub, which has been a NOSH beneficiary since early 2020. The hub co-ordinates 6 local Community Kitchens, all of which receive rescued  produce from NOSH to incorporate in the cooked meals they serve.

A team of local chefs and foodies under the watchful eye of Chef Gerhard Koekemoer of Food Ink will be preparing the scrumptious contents of the Odd Boxes using only salvaged produce – which would otherwise be consigned to landfill – to showcase what can be done with such food with a little TLC. Food vendors based at Victoria Yards, such as SOBAE Artisanal Sorbets and Foakes Coffee Bar & Roastery will also be creating an item for the Odd Box using rescued produce provided by NOSH.

The Makers Valley-based Carnival Collective will be providing Mardi Gras-style entertainment, there will be prizes and lucky draws as well as music to entertain picnic-goers should they choose to enjoy their Odd Box on the lawn. Odd Boxes can also be collected for off-site consumption, or can be bought on a pay-it-forward basis, to be donated to the MVP Food Hub.

Foakes Coffee Roastery & Bakery

Foakes Coffee Roastery & Bakery is a boutique coffee shop focusing on producing the highest quality and best tasting breads and coffee. We slow-ferment our breads using stoneground, unbleached flour and roast our coffee in small batches on-site. Our love for coffee and bread shows in every loaf, and every cup of coffee. We are a part of Victoria Yards, a community-based urban complex in Lorentzville.

You will find us here among many other creatives. The focus of Victoria Yards is to provide a space for artisan studios, urban farming, skills development and visual arts. This is a place where crafts people can create, work and exhibit their ideas and where skills and knowledge are shared to empower individuals in the community. We truly believe that providing people with the opportunity to showcase their talent or to develop new skills is important in creating an environment where people thrive as a community.

To whet your appetite, download their menu. Foakes Coffee Shop Menu

SOBAE FROZEN

SOBAE was established September 2017 jointly by Thula Ndema and Thato Mbongeni Masondo.
SOBAE is artisanal plant based sorbet made with inspired seasonal flavour and combinations to combat food waste. Bringing a unique approach to refreshment to South Africa.

WE ARE PURISTS
We make our sorbet from water; ice; perfectly ripe, sweet fruit; and much less sugar than you’ll usually find. No dairy. No additives. No preservatives. And very little sugar.

WE ARE EXPLORERS
We discover novel flavour combinations using unusual, in-season ingredients. We even use vegetables, herbs and spices in some of our sorbets – it works beautifully!

WE ARE ARTISANS
We have exacting standards. Every batch of SOBAE sorbet is made by hand. And we buy our ingredients personally to ensure they are the very finest available.

WE ARE IDEALISTS
We buy our ingredients from informal vendors at the point when their ripeness means they are about to be thrown out. The fight against food waste is central to us.

History of the NOSH Odd Plate events:

NOSH has been presenting monthly Odd Plate Dinners with great success since launching them on World Food Day, 16 October 2018. As ‘gatherings’ are still problematic to some extent, even under Level 1 restrictions, an outdoor, socially distanced picnic event was conceptualised along the same lines as the Odd Plate Dinners.

These events aim to:

  • broaden the NOSH network and supporter base;
  • create a platform to educate and engage with diners around the pressing issues of hunger and food waste;
  • break existing barriers to entry when it comes to consuming food that would otherwise be discarded for some reason or other;
  • provoke conversations around how individuals can get involved;
  • introduce diners to the amazing beneficiary organisations NOSH serves;
  • act as a fundraising mechanism to help NOSH do what it does – feed bellies, not bins!

“The right to food is a human right recognised under national and international law, which protects the right of human beings to access food and feed themselves, either by producing their own food or by buying it. The right to food is linked to one’s right to life and dignity. The right to food requires that food be available, accessible and adequate for everyone without discrimination at all times.”

South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)