IT'S MONDAY AND FOOD I LOVE YOU KITCHEN IS CLOSED TO CUSTOMERS, SO MPHO PHALANE IS HOSTING SOME of her favourite people for lunch. "Technicolor" by Sunni Colon plays softly through the Marshall speaker mingling with the chatter, laughter and gentle gurgle of wine being poured. Two long teak tables seat old friends, close associates and family. There is always a relative at the restaurant, and Mpho prefers it that way. "My family walks with me every step of this journey." She points to an antique silver spoon in a framed glass case on a nearby shelf. "This is my grandmother's spoon, gifted to me by my mother when I opened this place. My grandmother taught me how to trust my sense of taste. This spoon is a symbol of our family's history with food." Mpho is what the food industry calls a rising star, but she rejects all labels. "I'm just like you, I love and revere food. I named my restaurant for how I feel.
"I was always pegged as the Lynn (from Girlfriends) of my friendship circle. The haphazard, creative one with all the quirks. It was my fate to be different. And now that things are beginning to take shape, I seem a little less crazy for leaving a job to pursue this food thing."
Denne historien er fra January/February 2023-utgaven av Woolworths TASTE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra January/February 2023-utgaven av Woolworths TASTE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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.
