DON'T LET MMABATHO MOLEFE'S SHY DEMEANOUR FOOL YOU.
The head chef and owner of Emazulwini Restaurant knows exactly what her role is in South Africa's food revolution and she isn't so much breaking the mould, as making it.
She's taken a few detours to get here, having abandoned her studies towards a Bachelor of Arts in politics, philosophy and law at the University of KwaZulu-Natal to pursue a career in food. "I failed constitutional law a few times before deciding to follow my true passion."
With her family's support, Mmabatho enrolled at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Salt River, Cape Town, in 2017, which is where the shift would begin and her real life would start. While there, she took to celebrating her growing skills by hosting informal suppers for friends, cooking her favourite meals every Friday evening. "Feeding people is how I have always expressed my love, and today my friends and I still make sure that we regularly share a meal."
Indeed, sometimes you just have to push some tables together, invite people around and hope for the best. And that's exactly what Mmabatho did in 2018, when she made her official debut as a powerful young food voice and started The Long Table Experience in her home province of KZN. "I wasn't landing the food jobs I so badly wanted after I graduated, so I moved back to Durban and started hosting these dinners. People came out in their droves to support me, which really meant a lot."
Inspired by nostalgia and a pressing need to bring people together in the name of delicious food, Mmabatho popped up at various venues, collaborating with the likes of Diemersfontein wine estate.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July/August 2022-Ausgabe von Woolworths TASTE.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July/August 2022-Ausgabe von Woolworths TASTE.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Award-winning Food: Trending Plates
Fine-dining takes on both nostalgic and African ingredients - from Cremora and polony (yes!) to okra and beetroot - were food trends singled out by the judges of the 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards.
Everything you need to know about quinoa
If it was good enough to sustain the Incan armies - and NASA's astronauts - you'd better believe this protein-rich seed will see you through your afternoon slump.
PIGS IN BLANKETS
The kids will love these quick-and-easy snacks that won't break the (piggy) bank.
82 words on...
THE FROZEN APEROL SPRITZ is the hottest way to keep cool this summer, says Jeanne Calitz.
MEET ME AT THE RIVER
Plan a visit to the new Mukwa River Lodge on the banks of the Zambezi to experience Zambian food with a twist, courtesy of head cook Aaron Menezes and four passionate members of his kitchen team.
FIRE STARTER
Celeb TV chef Clem Pedro - of Afternoon Express and Expresso fame takes the art of hosting to pro level and not because he went to hotel school or worked for TASTE, but because he started in his mom's kitchen. We asked him to share his food nerd roots and family braai secrets.
PLANTS IN PARADISE
Former Durban creative (and one-time carnivore) Neil Roake and his daughter Jordan's epic travels led them to collaborate on the all veg cookbook Castaway. They shared their meat-free adventures on the Filipino island of Siargao with TASTE.
ΤΟ MAY-ΤΟ, ΤΟ MAH-ΤΟ
Midsummer tomatoes are impossible to resist, we know. So when you find yourself with a bounty of exotic varieties - heirlooms, Italian Romas, ripe Mediterraneans and sweet Rosalinis - Hannah Lewry is here to help.
HOME TRUTHS
At her Joburg eatery, established in the iconic former Women's Jail at Constitution Hill, Mpho Phalane has worked to create a space that both honours the historic site and feels like home. She spoke to Khanya Mzongwana about the food journey that brought her here.
Morogo magic
Budget-friendly indigenous leafy greens - fresh, sautéed or preserved for later use are on Mokgadi Itsweng's menu at this time of year.
