Chef Nti

Nthabiseng Ramaboa has lived many lives – in business, fashion, and now, food. But she’s always stayed true to her roots. Now, she’s celebrating South African flavours with her event space in Maboneng in Joburg

I grew up in Soweto.

It was just me, my gran, mom and sister. When it was a good day, we knew, because we would celebrate with food. I’d come back from school on a cold winter’s day and my gran would have made scones. From when I was 13, I was the designated chef at home.

I left home at 16-and-a-half with R800.

My mom was a single parent at the time, and that’s all she had, but I registered at Technikon SA. Then I entered a beauty pageant and won. I asked the dean’s office to give me a job instead of the prize. That’s how my journey started. Even now when I wake up sometimes I think I have been doing this!

I feel like I’ve lived many lives.

I worked in the telecom sector, then I joined The Reputation Institute during Thabo Mbeki’s era. Then I was poached by SAA’s CSI department. I started my own consultancy firm while I was there. For the first two years [of running it], I was still working at SAA, so I would get by with three hours’ sleep.

In my early twenties, I fell in love with a guy who had to go to Italy for work.