In this fast-paced and frenzied world of ours, it’s rare to feel utterly gob-smacked but this year’s Eat for the Earth has rendered us, here at Yuppiechef HQ, pretty much speechless.
On Tuesday 5 June, hundreds of wonderful hosts (if we could hug each one of you, we would) invited thousands of guests to share a meal and, in return, donate online to Soil for Life.

Work stopped for an hour or two and friends, families and colleagues lent their hands and culinary know-how in order to cook up earth-friendly feasts as ordinary folk ate for the earth and helped save the world on World Environment Day. Even some stellar offices and restaurants got involved in the action.

Together, we have raised a whopping R36,000 (and this money pot is still growing). Here’s a word from Soil for Life:

To the hosts and all their guests, your enthusiastic response to the Yuppiechef call to action was incredible. Just think about the impact your meals will have on Mother Earth and her earthly citizens. Warm hearts and full stomachs on the day; little ‘patches of salvation’ springing up all over Cape Town as people in need are shown simple, effective ways to grow good, safe food to see them through the year and into the future. The money that has been raised will feed them body and soul. It will grow them from the inside out helping them to realise their inordinate inner wealth.

You can be assured that every last cent will be put to good use – stretched as far as we can stretch it, and that each cent will make a difference to a life somewhere in, or on the periphery of, our city.

Your interest and support will help to plant the seeds of change in the communities in which we work.  We thank you one and all for giving us the means to teach more gardeners, and to change the world one (food) garden at a time.

Our hats are tipped to all the hosts and guests who took part.

We love the pictures sent in by so many of you; they have made us feel as though we too were eating at your tables. We said there would be great prizes and there are (find out if you are one of the lucky winners) but in our eyes you’re all pretty special so we’ve included a few pics of you and your dishes below in the hope that seeing your faces and meals up in lights will make you smile.

A heart-warming cheer to all the offices who got involved (you know who you are). To take time out of your busy schedules and sit down and eat together is something to be proud of. There were vegan lunches, soups cooked by renewable energy and girls dressed in pink.

The Grade 6 students at Micklefield also got stuck in. That pavlova’s impressive.

And as for the rest of you… we’d have liked to have tasted the vegetarian pizzas cooked with no electricity and sipped some organic wine with you.

And tasted that butter roasted cauliflower and freshly-baked bread.

We think it’s pretty awesome that even a dog got involved and the lengths you all went to so as to ensure your produce was local.

Cups that can be composted, a splendid-looking brunch and a 14 year old Magnum of wine, all sound pretty good too.

And as for the cassoulet that had to be adapted Mzanzi-style… mmm, could you send some of this hearty food our way? An Eat for the Earth high tea, book clubs that were earth-friendly-fied – the lengths you went to bowl us over.

A heart-felt thank you to everyone who got involved.

Thank you too to Soil for Life (Nava and Vic, you rock); to New Creation Collective for the great video (have you seen it?); Jules of Ocean Jewels for giving a 10% discount off fish for EFTE meals; Serendipity restaurant for giving 10% of proceeds from a special EFTE menu for the whole of June and to Global for sponsoring incredible prizes.

We’re pretty proud of what we have all, collectively, achieved by simply eating good food together. Roll on Eat for the Earth 2013.

Find out if you are one of our lucky winners.
And, if you missed Eat for the Earth this year but still want to donate. Here’s how.