About Us – Cooking on Coals Events

Chris Forrest

As well being in charge of the entertainment side, Chris is the creative of the team handling marketing, advertising and sales. Mostly known as a veteran comedian, and after winning Celebrity Masterchef SA, is also a sought after celebrity chef. A little known fact is that Chris studied events marketing as well as copywriting. Chris’ mission is to make sure that all the exhibitors stands are filled with varied and interesting products, that as many eyes get to view them as possible, and that everyone who attends, leaves feeling enlightened, entertained and looking out for the next one.

Colette Diamond

Colette will be looking after the logistics side of our festival. She is a hotel school qualified, professional event manager with experience in venue management, corporate event, consumer exhibitions, trade shows, association congress planning, and exhibitor service management.

Since then, Colette has been working as a freelance project manager and event manager, with clients such as Reed Exhibitions, Oasys (now GL), and Expo Trends, who ran the Hobby-X exhibition for more than 20 years. Hobby-X at times had 30 000 visitors over the 4 day show and Colette dealt with all the exhibition service providers and exhibitors.

Other events worked on include the FIFA World Cup 2010, Engen Road Shows, The Premier Corporate Governance Conference for 10 years, numerous medical confexes for the South African Orthopaedic Association across the country and The South African Bike Festival.

Tabitha Hoy

Tabitha has been involved in the events and entertainment industry since 2003.

Over the years, she has worked at Electromode Records and Primedia Media Broadcasting managing some of South Africa’s top entertainment and media personalities. Some of the highlights were working on 947 Cycle Challenge, 947 Jo’burg Day, 702 Walk the Talk and she was paramount in bringing Drake to South Africa in 2011.

Currently, Tabitha owns and runs pickledginger, an events & entertainment agency as well as co-owning The Local Market which runs and supports various small businesses & entrepreneurs through their regular pop-up markets.

Tabitha skills include marketing, PR and graphic design as well as VIP hospitality.

Duane Riley

As the MD of Billy Gallagher and Associates, Duane is a very well known figure in world of South African Cuisine. With a supreme knowledge of the food and beverage landscape Duane will be heading up all things cullinary for the Cooking On Coals events.

Through that as well as working for the HTA School of Cullinary Arts for a number of years, Duane’s rolodex of chefs and other contacts is unparalleled, giving us access to a number of huge names in every possible way. No stranger to organizing events either, projects he’s managed or been involved in include Good Food and Wine Show, MasterChef South Africa Off-Air, Southern Sun Montecasino Development, Bidvest World Chefs Tour Against Hunger 2011, and the SilverStar Casino outside Piatto build meaning he is great asset to the team.