A Table in the Corner (Russel Wasserfall Media)
Explore every episode of A Table in the Corner
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 06 Sep 2023 | 01. Ivor Jones - Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia | 00:35:14 | |
A conversation about cooking, growing veggies and running a fabulous Cape Town restaurant with chef and co-owner Ivor Jones. With stunning views, warm service and an ever-changing menu, Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia is justifiably pumping as one of the Mother City's favourite restaurants.
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| 06 Sep 2023 | 02. Kenneth McClarty - Olympia Café, Kalk Bay | 00:42:50 | |
A conversation about cooking, consistency, flavour and locals with chef and co-owner of the iconic Olympia Café in the seaside village of Kalk Bay near. Kenneth McClarty and his restaurant have been a feature of this picturesque village for over two decades and we chat about life in the village and his thoughts and insights on running a restaurant.
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| 06 Sep 2023 | 03. Sophia Lindop - Sophia Lindop Cooks | 00:31:41 | |
A natter with a truly inspiring food blogger and cooking instructor who is both a dear friend and a dedicated student of the Mediterranean table. In particular, Sophia teaches Lebanese cooking - she's about to release a video cooking course on this cuisine born of her concern that mothers no longer teach their daughters to cook, so traditions are being lost. We talk about growing up on a farm, what cooking and recipes mean to her and a little about her travels in the Levant and Italy.
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| 06 Sep 2023 | 04. Nic Charalambos - Ouzeri | 00:20:15 | |
Nic Charalambos is the chef-proprietor of the extremely popular Ouzeri restaurant in Cape Town's Wale Street. We talk about his inspiration, where his cooking comes from and about what he sees as the future of this restaurant based on his Cypriot heritage.
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| 06 Sep 2023 | 05. Jason Kosmas - Pot Luck Club | 00:27:25 | |
A natter at Pot Luck Club with exec chef Jason Kosmas about cooking, recipes, fishing and in-laws. We touch on what's happening to restaurants in Cape Town post-pandemic and touch on how dishes are created in his kitchen.
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| 06 Sep 2023 | 06. Ryan Cole - Salsify at the Roundhouse | 00:34:50 | |
From Michelin stars to foraging with Chris Erasmus we talk a little history and a lot of cooking with head chef and co-owner Ryan Cole at Salsify restaurant in the historic Roundhouse overlooking Cape Town's Camps Bay.
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| 19 Sep 2023 | 07. Charmaine Lilje - Chardonnay Deli | 00:35:14 | |
Charmaine Lilje is the chef-proprietor and all-round amazing person behind the tremendously popular Chardonnay Deli. With buzzing venues in Constantia and Kalk Bay, Charmaine is about to open a third shop on Constantia Uitsig. We chatted about drive and determination, inspiration and being at the right place at the right time.
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| 26 Sep 2023 | 08. Emma-Claire Peter - The Wandering Foodista | 00:28:25 | |
Emma-Claire peter is both a wanderer and a wonderer in the realm of all things food. We've encountered each other often on our journeys. We first worked together when she was getting into food-styling, and we've crossed paths through magazines and other publications, and when she's been organising food events or curating food collections for retail ranges. Emma-Claire is always doing something interesting with or around food and I caught up with her for a natter about what's happening in her world.
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| 03 Oct 2023 | 09. Phil Myburgh - De Meye Wine Farm | 00:30:48 | |
Philip Myburgh is a wine farmer with deep roots in the Stellenbosch region of the Western Cape Winelands. Once, long ago I opened a restaurant under the trees on his beautiful property with my wife. It's been a while, but Phil and I used to have fabulous chats about the business of farming and wine and the necessity of 'sweating your assets' when you're a land-owner. I thought it would be great to chat to him as a precursor to a conversation with Leigh and Brendan Thorncroft who now run The Table at De Meye on his Stellenbosch farm.
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| 08 Oct 2023 | 10. Brendan & Leigh - The Table at De Meye | 00:32:13 | |
Brendon and Leigh Thorncroft are the owner/chef/host team at The Table at De Meye in the Stellenbosch Winelands. I chatted to them on a beautiful spring day about running a set menu restaurant and sourcing as sustainably and locally as volumes will allow. Always such a pleasure to spend time with these two.
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| 17 Oct 2023 | 12. Pam McOnie - Cape Fusion Tours | 00:31:51 | |
Pam McOnie is a priceless asset to the food 'scene' in Cape Town. She created the first food tours in Cape Town City, and when restaurants and other businesses were in free fall during lockdown, she started a Facebook group that became a beacon of hope for the eateries and foodies of the region. I love chatting to her at any time and she's the first person I call if I need to know what's potting in the local food scene. Pam is a living archive of the people and places that have shaped local restaurants and food culture, and we barely scratched the surface in our brief chat.
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| 11 Oct 2023 | 11. Günter Boisits - The Drinkery | 00:34:14 | |
Günter Boisits is the co-owner of my favourite bar in Cape Town - The Drinkery. He's a highly skilled and very experienced operator in the hospitality space. We always have lively discussions about the industry. In this interview, I chatted to him about cocktails, sandwiches, service and the many other things that fascinate us both.
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| 31 Oct 2023 | 14. Clayton Bell - Empire Cafe | 00:26:10 | |
Clayton Bell is the owner of Empire Cafe in Muizenberg, a bustling little 'local' which is one of my favourite breakfast spots. With a pedigree as the former exec chef at iconic Cape Town restaurants he brings a wealth of hard-won experience to running his own place. We chatted about the shift of pace and scale from running a big corporate restaurant to operating his own 50 seater in a seaside retreat.
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| 24 Oct 2023 | 13. Fernando Badiali - Bare Kofu Co. | 00:32:24 | |
An old friend from the photography life, Fernando recently opened a coffee business at the Franschhoek Market in the Winelands. Even though he's a freshly minted operator, his precise nature and the journey he embarked on to create Bare Kofu provided an illuminating glimpse of the coffee game and an entertaining chat.
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| 07 Nov 2023 | 15. Simba Choto - Pastry by Simba | 00:28:18 | |
Pastry chef Simba Choto tried to go out on his own, baking to order from home, before Covid. 2019 was a tough year, but it finished on a high note with a summer season baking at a resort in Bazaruto. He came back from that gig and was plunged into lockdown. Interestingly enough, that's when his business actually took off - with the help of social media, and a community of fans of his baked goods and granola.
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| 28 Nov 2023 | 19. Ben Bettendorf - Obi Restaurant | 00:32:37 | |
Ben Bettendorf grew up in the restaurant trade. He went from working in his father's restaurants to cooking in some top local kitchens, and now runs one of the most popular sushi restaurants in Cape Town with his partner 'Papa San'. A life in front-of-house and kitchens has given him a rare insight into the delights (and the eye-rolls) of dealing with customers, and plenty of grist for his hilarious observations about working in the service industry. We chatted about Obi Restaurant in Long Street and his analogies about customer service moments.
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| 14 Nov 2023 | 16. Cheyne Morrisby - Cheyne's & Bang K | 00:36:17 | |
Cheyne Morrisby has been a popular figure on the Cape Town dining scene for some time with his take on modern Asian cuisine. Cheyne's and Lucky Bao are an institution in Hout Bay and his other openings, like Mexicola and Himitsu have struck a note with diners from the City Bowl to Camps Bay. We talk about his journey - the ups and downs, the pressures and the joys of the 'game', and ultimately about addiction and reflection. This is a heart-to-heart with a chef I first encountered in 2008 and have admired ever since.
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| 21 Nov 2023 | 18. Claire Gunn - Food Photographer & Visual Artist | 00:32:04 | |
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| 05 Dec 2023 | 20. Michelle Nelson - A Cook in the Wind | 00:21:56 | |
Michelle Nelson is perfectly happy with her job running a studio in a bustling Cape Town branding agency. It suits her just fine. Yet she constantly has friends and family who love her cooking asking why she doesn't start another restaurant. Michelle has been there, done that. She's worked as a caterer on movie sets and run her own little suburban cafe. We chatted about burning out in the catering game and why you really shouldn't sink your life's savings into an eatery in a doomed location...
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| 16 Nov 2023 | 17. Peter Ayub - Sense of Taste & Urban Playground | 00:24:26 | |
Chef Peter Ayub has been teaching cooking as a trade to young chefs in Cape Town for over a decade. Along with his wife Debs, he runs the Sense of Taste Cooking School in Maitland and it turns out capable and confident young chefs, many of whom I've encountered in kitchens during my career as a food writer and photographer. In the aftermath of Covid, they opened a little 40 seater restaurant called Urban Playground on the school premises and it's become a sensation. We chatted about cooking, careers, community service and bewildered customers among other things.
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| 26 Dec 2023 | 23. Wynand van Rooyen - Cooking in Private | 00:27:48 | |
Wynand van Rooyen was the youngest ever Sunday Times Chef of the Year back in 2011. He was a stalwart in the kitchen at the Mount Nelson and went on to come a close second in a legendary season of Ultimate Braai Master with his wife and fellow chef, Kirby. I've known him for years and really enjoy his easy, relaxed style. We chatted about running restaurants (he owned Woodlands Grill for a bit), pop-ups, private cheffing and his dream of opening a restaurant called 'The Flying Boar'.
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| 19 Dec 2023 | 22. Darryl Burger - The Field Kitchen | 00:26:51 | |
Darryl Burger is a caterer with a fiercely loyal following. After 12 years of running 'The Field Kitchen', he is still excited by the challenges of producing inventive menus that bring joy - whether at weddings or on photo shoots. He's an inveterate foodie who's one of my go-to humans when I need to know something about ingredients or wines. It's also worth making friends with him as he throws the best dinner parties I've ever attended - but only in Winter.
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| 12 Dec 2023 | 21. Clark Truter - Wine Merchant | 00:29:54 | |
Incredibly knowledgeable about Western Cape wines, a source of endless outstanding suggestions for great table wines and all-round excellent fellow Clark Truter is my guest on episode 21 . We chatted about movement in the industry, restaurant wine lists and where to begin to educate your palate if you're interested in wine. It was a fun time with my favourite wine ou.
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| 15 Jan 2024 | 24. Franck Dangereux - The Foodbarn - Episode #1 | 00:26:52 | |
Chef Franck lives quietly in Noordhoek, surfing whenever the waves look good, walking the dogs on the beach and enjoying a simple life dedicated to family, friends and horses. Few around him realise (and he definitely wouldn’t mention it unless you asked) that the chef/owner of The Foodbarn was behind the launch of La Colombe, the restaurant that propelled Cape Town fine dining into the hearts and award ceremonies of the culinary world. This is Episode 1 of my chat with Chef Franck Dangereux.
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| 23 Jan 2024 | 25. Franck Dangereux - The Foodbarn - Episode #2 | 00:26:10 | |
In the second instalment of my conversation with Chef Franck Dangereux, we’ve moved beyond La Colombe to discuss the creation of The Foodbarn in Noordhoek. We talk about running a restaurant, pleasing customers and reflect on who Chef Franck believes is 'killing it' in local kitchens, taking Cape Town’s culinary scene to new heights.
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| 30 Jan 2024 | 26. Sam Linsell - Drizzle and Dip | 00:26:09 | |
Photographer, food stylist, recipe developer, writer, videographer, digital maven - there is no end to the things Sam Linsell has mastered and continues to learn in the food universe she has created with Drizzle and Dip. It's my favourite food blog and I've known Sam long enough to remember her early forays into food photography. It's been a joy to watch the growth and success and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Sam to find out where it started and where her digital food journey will take her.
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| 13 Feb 2024 | 28. Hein van Tonder - Photographer and Ceramicist | 00:26:53 | |
Hein van Tonder is an international award-winning food photographer who began his creative journey by starting a food blog. I've known him since the very beginning of Heinstirred and have been privileged to watch an incredible talent emerge. We chatted about his path, the breaks and the images along the way as well as his new foray into ceramics.
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| 06 Feb 2024 | 27. Jenna Short - Short and Sweet Chocolates | 00:28:31 | |
Jenna Short is a pastry chef of no mean skill who has created a sumptuous chocolate business that is a complete delight. With her little team in their Woodstock factory, she produces the most beautiful chocolate bonbons and slabs which stretch both indulgence and creativity, taking the craft to new heights. We chatted about chocolate and some of her background as a chef, but mostly about the pain and joy of starting a little business in the food space.
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| 20 Feb 2024 | 30. Gillian Key - Mozambik N1 City | 00:24:38 | |
The name Gillian Key often pops up in the comments section of local social media food groups, with informed views on the restaurant scene. I remembered a conversation I had with her some time back about running franchise restaurants, and thought I'd quiz her about the Mozambik restaurant she runs with husband Richard and her experience and thoughts around running eateries. We spoke for hours, but I managed to edit our chat down to a nuggety half hour. I have no doubt we will spend many more hours chatting about our shared obsession - the food industry.
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| 27 Feb 2024 | 31. Iming Lin - Meuse Farm | 00:26:54 | |
An absolutely enthralling conversation with Iming Lin on an oft-forgotten aspect of the restaurant trade - where the food comes from. Iming is a grower of interesting and unusual food plants which she supplies to local restaurants from her little 'farm' on the edge of Hout Bay. With a background growing for Ban Barber's Blue Hills restaurant at Stone Barns in New York State, Iming is incredibly knowledgable about contemporary, sustainable market gardening, and what it means to grow beautiful food for chefs at the top of their game.
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| 01 Mar 2024 | 32. Errieda du Toit - SA Food Maven - Episode 1 | 00:26:56 | |
Errieda du Toit is my absolute best! She is a bottomless mine of food knowledge who approaches cooking and culinary culture with a breathtaking passion. Our conversation meandered over many topics including her work as a content producer for some of South Africa's favourite television cooking shows. It's a cracker, and so rich we had to break it into two episodes. I loved talking to her and completely adore this fireball of a human.
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| 05 Mar 2024 | 33. Errieda du Toit - SA Food Maven - Episode 2 | 00:26:14 | |
In the second episode of our chat, Errieda du Toit introduces me to her new-found obsession with live-fire cooking. Kokkedoor Vuur en Vlam was born out of her love of gathering people around a fire and feeding them. Even though we jabbered enough to fill two episodes, there is no doubt I will be going back for more some time soon.
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| 16 Feb 2024 | 29. Steve Duke - No Fixed Address | 00:26:35 | |
We're going very local in this episode and interviewing Chef Steve Duke, the creator behind No Fixed Address and a Japanese-style fried chicken he serves on noodles to rapturous applause by Muizenberg locals. His market staple dish and the canapé-based catering business he runs made for an engrossing conversation. I bumped into him shopping at a local grocery market, and we recorded our chat at a bit of a noisy spot near his dark kitchen in Cape Town's Southern Suburbs. (There's a bit of a ragged sound floor due to passing traffic, so please bear with us for the odd roar of a truck.)
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| 12 Mar 2024 | 34. Dale Kushner - Bigga D's Food Truck | 00:25:40 | |
Production company owner Dale Kushner has brought authentic birria tacos to Cape Town from his seasonal home in Los Angeles. Bigga D's food truck is kind of a side hustle that started in lockdown when the film industry shut down. Dale needed something to do, he loves cooking and was missing his favourite LA street food. We sat down to talk about food trucks and authentic flavours, and I got my taco fix for the week.
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| 19 Mar 2024 | 36. Charles Bryant - Six Dogs Gin | 00:27:40 | |
Six Dogs is an iconic South African gin brand produced on a small farm that straddles the Karoo and Cape Floral biomes in the Western Cape. On this episode, I chat to Charles Bryant the founder and creative engine behind the distillery which produces gins that are as at home on the shelves of Cape Town's finest bars as they are in drinkeries in 30 countries around the world. From the dream to the working still and future plans, it was an engrossing conversation.
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| 26 Mar 2024 | 37. Emma Wilson - Commercial Food Stylist | 00:27:18 | |
Emma Wilson has beed a food stylist for a while. I first met her when she assisted the gifted stylist Lisa Clark, back in my days as a food photographer. We laughed our way through some reminiscences and a chat about food styling as a career, how she got started and how she would go about it if she was starting out today. The interview went by in a flash and at some stage I think we need to talk some more about the business end of styling and how food has become such force within the marketing universe. But that's another episode, this one is a cracker on its own.
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| 15 Mar 2024 | 35. Luke Dale Roberts - Salon, Pot Luck Club, Test Kitchen Fledgelings | 00:35:08 | |
I sat down with Luke Dale Roberts at Salon Restaurant in The Biscuit Mill and we spoke of many things. His creative drive is enormous, and the desire to explore his craft through an eclectic range of cooking techniques and styles is strong with him. It was an effortless chat with one of the greats in our restaurant universe that touched on The Test Kitchen, Fledgelings, Pot Luck Club and the evolution of Salon. A cracker of a conversation.
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| 28 Mar 2024 | 38. Abena Danquah - Ghana Jollof | 00:26:47 | |
Abena Danquah has joined a growing offering of African food stalls at the Neighbourgoods Food Market at the Biscuit Mill in Salt River. On the strength of her success, selling delicious Ghanaian street food, she opened her restaurant 'Ghana Jollof' in Main Road in Woodstock in December 2023, and it's pumping. We sat down to chat about her journey, the popularity of jollof, and the growth of African food outlets in the city. The traffic noise of a busy city road intruded a little into the recording, so bear with us as I chat to this wonderful entrepreneur about the vibrant cuisine of Ghana.
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| 09 Apr 2024 | 40. Sheryl Ozinsky - OZCF Market | 00:32:38 | |
Originally conceived as a community-building project to help create a safer neighbourhood, Oranjezicht City Farm became a model and a springboard for urban and sustainable farming projects in Cape Town and beyond. Under the guidance of Sheryl Ozinsky and her partner Caz Friedman, it also sprouted a few stalls which has gone on to become a wildly popular, world-class food market that welcomes as many as 15,000 visitors a week in season. In this episode we chat about the origins, the growth and the future of the OZCF Market.
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| 15 Apr 2024 | 41. Kiara Scott - Brookdale Wine Estate | 00:33:04 | |
Kiara Scott-Farmer became the head winemaker at Brookdale Estate near Paarl at the tender age of 26. Since then she has made an impression on the industry and a number of 'wine ous' whose palates I respect. Her journey from Mitchell's Plain to this gorgeous property set against the mountains overlooking Paarl is a fascinating one. We sat down for a chat with a view over the vineyards, and spoke about her wines, particularly the Mason Road Serendipity which is now my favourite rosé.
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| 31 Mar 2024 | 39. Kevin Wood - Adventurer and Brewer, Darling | 00:38:20 | |
Co-founder and former owner of Darling Brew, Kevin Wood sat down to chat with me about how his brewing journey started. It's a canned history of the early days of the craft beer industry that he navigated with his wife and co-founder Philippa Wood. Darling Brew shot to prominence in the industry back when men were men and beer was nervous. He left the game in the tumult of Covid, and now runs a smokehouse and adventure centre called 'Living Colour' outside his home town of Darling in the Western Cape. For fans of his approach to making beer, there's a little brewing project brewing on the road between Darling and Yzerfontein.
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| 19 Apr 2024 | 42. Jason Lilley - Jason Bakery | 00:37:08 | |
Jason Bakery has a bit of a cult following in the Mother City. Jason Lilley been the baker of choice for a generation of Capetonians - from his hole-in-the-wall bakery on Bree Street, laminating croissants by hand, to his current home in Green Point, with all the gear he needs to run a modern bakery/restaurant. I chatted to him about putting his name on the door and building an intensely personal and successful brand. It's all about his obsession with bread and pastry, his quirky sense of humour, creating spaces to enjoy with his friends, and being, at heart, a "motorcycle enthusiast". What a legend.
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| 03 May 2024 | 44. Jason Kosmas - Pot Luck Club - The 'Season Chat’ | 00:32:24 | |
After a banging season, I got a chance to sit down again with Jason Kosmas of Pot Luck Club. In our ‘post-season’ chat, we spoke about the suppliers, the team and the planning that got him through the 2023/2024 Summer at both the Biscuit Mill site and PLC Johannesburg. Reflections on the economic impacts of running restaurants are part of the conversation in this second bite at the apple talking to a chef at the top of his game.
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| 26 Apr 2024 | 43. Courtney Cara Lawson - Bartender : Fable | 00:36:07 | |
Cocktail Bar culture has a firm grip on the Cape Town hospitality scene. It's uncharted territory for many. But if you have a seasoned bartender like Courtney Cara Lawson to help identify what to order and where to go - what's a good cocktail venue and what's merely a bar - you can navigate your way to a fine evening out. I sat down for a chat with a dear friend, and learned a lot about a trend which has people eschewing alcohol-forward, bitter classics like the negroni and choosing the carefully crafted offerings of a banging cocktail lounge like Fable in the heart of the city.
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| 10 May 2024 | 45. Richard Bosman - Charcutier | 00:34:45 | |
This fascinating chat with charcutier Richard Bosman was prompted by an article about a dish he created for a story by Tony Jackman in Daily Maverick. I've known Richard for a while and always admired his artisanal charcuterie business, but reading the story reminded me that he'd be a great person to chat to on the show. While much of the discussion is about a traditional food craft, running a food business and Richard's background and business journey, we do touch on the source of various cuts of meat and the animal used to produce them. If such discussion is not for you, it might be best to skip Episode 45.
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| 17 May 2024 | 46. Bertus Basson - Motorcycle and Land Rover Enthusiast | 00:48:08 | |
He's been on my list of people to chat to since the very first show, but I finally got to sit down with Bertus Basson for a conversation that was totally not kak. We first met when I shot a portrait of a young chef who was shaking up the restaurant scene in Cape Town back in 2008. We've known each other 16 years and he is a friend I respect and admire even though we don't see each other much because he has a family, seven restaurants, a catering company, a pig and a bunch of dogs. We spoke about the journey, a little about being a media persona, motorbikes, Land Rovers - and a fair amount about food and running restaurants. I didn't want it to end, but it had to and we sat down after the recording and shared a pizza. What a guy! Bertus is truly one of the best of us.
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| 24 May 2024 | 47. Anwar Abdullatief - The Happy Uncles | 00:36:53 | |
Barely a week after we recorded this chat, Chef Anwar Abdullatief’s restaurant was named African Restaurant of the Year at the Luxe Restaurant Awards. A stunning achievement for an talented chef who never really intended to open a restaurant. Tired of fine diner kitchens, he thought he’d do something with food products. Somehow, along the way he found himself opening the excellent Barakat at Time Out Cape Town, and then The Happy Uncles, the city’s first halal fine diner, kind of opened itself at his production kitchen in Voortrekker Road. His journey is a fascinating one, and it was a cracking conversation.
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| 31 May 2024 | 48. Rupesh Kassen - Eat Like a Local | 00:37:31 | |
Food tours are a great way to discover the pulse of a city when you travel. That's how Rupesh Kassen has always immersed himself in the cities he's travelled to. So when he moved to Cape Town and started exploring the food and culture of the 'Mother City', it seemed an obvious gap in the local tourism market that he could step into. With a background as a chef and a long stint in the corporate finance world, he thought it was time for (another) career change, so he started Eat Like A Local. It's a food tour that introduces tourists - both foreign and domestic - to his new home. We chatted about his journey and his views on the growth of the tourism economy.
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| 04 Jun 2024 | 49. Brian Green - Group 44 Properties | 00:32:12 | |
Brian Green is the creative mind behind 44 Stanley, the iconic urban renewal development in Jozi. We met at a friend’s birthday lunch recently, and our chat about renting space to restaurants and the role of eateries and other creative businesses in reviving urban spaces turned into a podcast. Brian’s Group 44 outfit also did Victoria Yards in Johannesburg and more recently developed a building in the Bree Street precinct. It’s a wide-ranging chat about an angle on running restaurants that I really enjoyed.
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| 06 Jun 2024 | 50. Amy Gardiner - Humble Coffee, Durban | 00:29:15 | |
Amy Gardiner is a peach! Her brand, Humble Coffee, is a touchstone for quality and inclusivity in its Durban home, much loved both by her wholesale and coffee shop customers. A social entrepreneur at heart, Amy also has an instinctive understanding of building strong brands. She has worked hard on her roasting and trading skills, while creating a wonderful team to drive the Humble Coffee promise and engagement. I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with her on a recent visit to Durban.
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| 11 Jun 2024 | 51. Ndumiso Mncwabe - Authentiq, Durban | 00:26:40 | |
Ndu Mncwabe is a legend. He is the much-loved proprietor of Authentiq in Durban's Florida Road, and was a contestant way back on Season 3 of Masterchef SA. We chatted about operating venues in Durban, bringing African flavours and inspiration to local menus and a bunch of other stuff. He's a natural host and very easy to engage with on his favourite topic - the hospitality game.
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| 12 Jun 2024 | 52. Theo Chiloane - 9th Avenue Waterside, Durban | 00:26:53 | |
Set in Durban's Yacht Mole, surrounded masts that dance on the tides, 9th Avenue Waterside occupies an iconic location in the east coast city. It has a long heritage in fine dining to live up to, and by all accounts it is doing so with Chef Theo Chiloane at the helm. Technical precision and immaculate presentation are the hallmarks of this internationally experience chef, who manages to bring a healthy sprinkling of local flavour and a sense of adventure to the offering at this buzzing venue.
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| 21 Jun 2024 | 54. Adam Mason - Raised by Wolves, Yardstick Wines | 00:43:05 | |
For Adam Mason, making wine is an expression of life. The experiences and moments that combine to define a life are equally central to creating or 'raising' a great wine. He should know. From the vineyards of the Loire Valley by way of Klein Constantia, to his own brands - Raised by Wolves and Yardstick - Adam’s wines are the journal of a fascinating journey. This chat was so illuminating, and such a pleasure.
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| 04 Jul 2024 | 57. Pierre Winshaw - Winshaw Eatery | 00:31:14 | |
Winshaw is a name with deep roots and a fabulous story in the growth and development of the wine industry in Stellenbosch. It is also the site of the best steak and chips I've eaten in absolute ages. On the Baden Powell Road edge of Stellenbosch, Winshaw Eatery is the 'tasting' room for the Winshaw brothers' wine and pasture-reared beef farm. You can even collect a tray of eggs from their pastured egg-mobiles while you're there. Pierre Winshaw joined me for a chat about legacy, regenerative agriculture, simplicity in execution, and making do with what you have to create a family hospitality business.
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| 14 Jun 2024 | 53. Dave & Ishara Chetty - Doughed, Durban | 00:32:12 | |
Meet the Durban couple who opened the city's first Napoli-style pizza place. Doughed Wood-fired Dining on the Florida Road strip offers wnderful 72-hour fermented sourdough pizza bases with a variety of both traditional and whimsical local toppings. I chatted to them about their obsession with Italy and it's rustic food traditions, discovering their reputation for making insane canoli along the way. A massive and seemingly endless curiosity about food and its origins, fuels their food journey, and their latest project is sourdough croissants.
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| 24 Jun 2024 | 55. Di Bibby - Bibby's Kitchen | 00:33:16 | |
I've been following Di Bibby on Insta since some time in 2017. Her 'Cake Friday' segment is a particular favourite, and I would sometimes dip into her blog 'Bibby's Kitchen' for inspiration when I was still shooting food. On a recent trip to the 'Mother City' to launch her latest book, Di very kindly agreed to sit down and record an episode for A Table in the Corner with me. Behind the simplicity, practicality and adventurousness of her cooking, I found a wonderfully grounded personality who will just as happily share a fabulous recipe with you or a sharp insight about life. Self taught in every aspect of her blog - from cooking and baking, to photography, styling and writing - Di is well-travelled, clever, wise and really engaging company. I was an ‘interested observer’ when we sat down to record this chat, now I’m a fan.
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| 27 Jun 2024 | 56. Holly Rey - Baking with the Reys | 00:33:24 | |
Where do I even begin with this one? Holly Rey is a complete legend. (She's my niece.) I would say 'rockstar' to coin another worn phrase, but rock is not her genre and my niece is so much more than a recording artist and entertainer. As the first woman in 20 years to win a SAMA Best Song Award for the smash hit 'Deeper' (Brenda Fassie won for 'Vulindlela' in 1999), and the winner of the first South African season of 'Masked Singer' there's no question she's talented. It also seems that anything this clever human (my niece) touches tends to sparkle. Earlier this year she and her little sister Mimi (also my niece) won 3 US Taste Television awards for a series they created in lockdown called 'Baking With The Reys'. When she was in Cape Town recently recording content as a guest on another cooking show, we had a rare chance to sit down for a chat. It's inspiring to talk to a young person who understands the networked world in which we live and has leveraged elements of that to build an enviable career for herself. (In the interests of full disclosure, I believe it is important to mention that she is my niece.)
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| 10 Jul 2024 | 58. Ferdiane Barabwiriza - Sense of Taste Chef School | 00:23:56 | |
Much of the content on this show is focused on established restaurants and other food businesses or their proprietors. Ever since I chatted to Chef Pete Ayub way back on Episode 17, I've been thinking about chatting to a young person who's just getting going in the industry. Debs Ayub very kindly talked one of the students at Sense of Taste Chef School into chatting to me on the show. Meet Ferdiane Barabwiriza, a second year chef student who is about to start an internship, or 'stage', at Pot Luck Club with Jason Kosmas. We spoke of her route into the industry, what she's learned so far and what she hopes to do with her qualification. Some of her answers were quite unexpected - I thought I'd be chatting to someone who has always dreamed of being a chef - instead I found a delightful and very practical young woman who saw cheffing as the path to a solid career and came to love cooking as she learned. This might be the start of a sub-series on cooking students, as I'm sure the hopes, dreams and realities of each student will produce fascinating content.
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| 15 Jul 2024 | 59. Ilana Sharlin Stone - Food Writer and Chef | 00:38:29 | |
Readers of Daily Maverick who read the lifestyle content, especially the food section edited by Tony Jackman, will recognise my guest on this episode from her byline. An American who's lived in Cape Town for 30 years, Ilana Sharlin Stone is a great food writer whose portfolio includes work for Saveur, Life and Thyme, Los Angeles Times, and many others. After starting out as a writer, Ilana took herself off to study at the Culinary Institute of America and became a chef so that she could better understand and write about food. Of course that opened more doors and she started working in restaurant kitchens, ultimately moving to Cape town with her South African husband in 1994 where they opened the seminal modern Italian restaurant 'Rustica'. after closing 'Rustica' in 2000, Ilana concentrated on raising her two young children and building her writing career. Exploring more than just shiny palaces full of delicious temptation, Ilana writes about the grit and grime of restaurants, food security, sustainability and life in the trenches. We chatted about writing, restauranting and much more. I suspect we'll meet again to continue nattering about our love of food and the industry that surrounds it.
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| 18 Jul 2024 | 60. Richard Key - Restaurateur and Restaurant Consultant | 00:38:52 | |
Despite his youthful good looks , Richard Key knocks the oats out of anyone else I know for restaurant industry wisdom and knowledge. Whenever we see each other, the topic turns to 'the game' immediately. He knows so much, and I've leaned often on his knowledge to sense-check ideas for projects I've worked on. As much as he and his wife Gillian love restaurants and the hospitality industry, he is clear-eyed about its challenges. Richard has a knack for holding complex figures and costings in his head, and is able to tell you pretty accurately at the drop of a hat what a dish is going to cost out at. I thought he'd be an interesting person to tap for a chat about the cost of operating a restaurant - inspired by a question from Barry Meeser, one of this show's listeners. Turns out Richard was the perfect person to ask. He's busy consulting to a corporate restaurant group to set up a couple of new franchise operations, and had some incredibly detailed figures at his fingertips from researching the competitive environment in which they want to operate. This is probably the most enlightening episode I've recorded so far.
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| 24 Jul 2024 | 61. Nic Haarhoff - El Burro Tacqueria | 00:38:59 | |
El Burro holds a place in many Capetonian hearts. The Tacquerias are doing great, but Nic and Rene Haarhoff decided a few years ago that managing big 150-seater restaurants demanded too much time and energy that they should be investing into raising their two sons. The big El Burros - especially the Greenpoint one - are sorely missed by many, but the ethos of hand-making everything from scratch and the warmth of their hospitality surge on in El Burro Tacquerias. There's one in Kloof Street and the other is downstairs from the original El Burro in Greenpoint, where Bao Down now reigns. I've always enjoyed chatting to Nic - he's a top chap and very knowledgeable about operating a restaurant. We sat down in the Greenpoint restaurant before service on morning to have a natter.
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| 30 Jul 2024 | 62. Charmaine Lilje & Kenneth McClarty | 00:32:53 | |
Following on from a couple of conversations about the nitty-gritty of running restaurants, I called on a couple of my favourite local operators to get their view of the world. Kenneth McClarty has been running Olympia Café in Kalk Bay since 1997, so he knows something about keeping a ship afloat. Charmaine Lilje of Chardonnay Deli is a spring chicken by comparison, but the accumulative experience of running 3 successful eateries in the 'South' heaps wisdom upon her in my eyes. We sat down on a stormy Cape morning recently for a natter about the business and the challenges of running restaurants.
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| 01 Aug 2024 | 63. Schalk Vlok - Babel at Babylonstoren | 00:28:38 | |
Babylonstoren is a fascinating project that has grown immensely since I last visited. There is just so much going on there. The return to mixed farming, the use of regenerative farming techniques in the fields and beds is incredible. There's so much happening, that the content couldn't be limited to just one episode. In the first of a couple of chats with key people on the farm, I spoke to executive chef Schalk Vlok about his role at Babel and the other restaurants there. So interesting how chefs are starting to think about produce and farming, and the people who produce the ingredients they work with.
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| 06 Aug 2024 | 64. Alex Bosman - Head Gardener, Babylonstoren | 00:26:54 | |
Regular listeners will have picked up my abiding interest in the 'regenerative agriculture' movement. While science is teaching us more and more about the world and providing the tools to understand it better, it seems we are returning to more traditional ways of producing food. This is true of the great undertaking that is Babylonstoren, where natural farming methods lead and very clever and dedicated people like Alex Bosman - head gardener on the estate - are pushing and teaching better ways of looking after our soil and the food we eat. This was a really enlightening chat, and I hope to sit with hime some time in the future to learn more.
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| 08 Aug 2024 | 65. Georgina Visser - Dalewood Cheese | 00:30:59 | |
One of the joys of running our restaurant 'The Table at de Meye' was my regular visits to Dalewood nearby to collect cheese for the weekend menu. I've always loved their cheeses - especially the 'Huegenot'. Theirs is a singular farming philosophy which has attracted global attention and numerous awards. All their cheese is made with milk from a herd of Jersey cows pastured exclusively on Dalewood farm. There isn't a cheese more rooted in its terroir - or traceable to the pasture - as Dalewood. While building and nurturing this exceptional cheesery, Rob and Petrina Visser have also raised two lovely daughters and I got to chat to the older of the two, Georgina Visser, about the farm and growing up a farmer's daughter.
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| 22 Aug 2024 | 68. Samantha Skyring - Oryx Salt | 00:28:58 | |
There are such wildly conflicting views about salt, and the seasoning of food. Depending on where you look or who you ask, salt is either beneficial for your health or an ogre to banish from the table. Years ago I read a fascinating book on salt, and it's role in human history, by Mark Kurlansky, so I'm a bit of a salt geek. I found another one, Samantha Skyring, who owns Oryx Salt and we sat down for a natter about this seasoning element and what it brings to the table.
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| 16 Aug 2024 | 67. Kit Heathcock - The Burger Chat | 00:29:49 | |
I read a fantastic article in Daily Maverick by Kit Heathcock about Zuney Burgers in Kloof Street. It also touched on the wagyu industry and an interesting trend in farm-to-consumer eateries that are popping up. I have an abiding love for burgers, have written about them and eaten probably more than my fair share. I reached out to Kit to strike up a conversation about her story and burgers in general. It sort of differs from the more biographical content on food producers and chefs that appears here, but I thought it would be a great chat. I was right.
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| 13 Aug 2024 | 66. Liam Tomlin - Chefs Warehouse | 00:40:54 | |
Chef Liam Tomlin is about to open a revamped Chefs Warehouse & Canteen at 91 Bree Street in the CBD along with Chef David Schneider. Also in that gorgeous old building, they're opening Merchant - a restaurant dedicated to the suppliers and producers of fine local ingredients. I've been waiting for a chance and a reason to sit down with Liam Tomlin for a chat. And while we did discuss replacing The Bailey with an 'old school' Chefs Warehouse, of course we ranged over other topics like his erstwhile Sydney restaurant Banc. with questions I couldn't resist asking. Sitting down with a chef whose work I deeply admire is definitely cause for excitement. The fact that he is returning the space to the original CW concept - even going to his stunning book 'Tapas' for the recipes - helped ramp up the joy, and I can't wait to eat in the new space.
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| 27 Aug 2024 | 69. Tania Olivier - ATE Eatery | 00:37:30 | |
I initially reached out to Tania Olivier of ATE Eatery when she posted online about working on a cookbook. I've been wanting to talk about cookbooks on the show for a while. Turns out her publishing project is another thing entirely, but we started talking about South African food and how she cooks her experiences of being South African for guests in her home. Tania is fascinating and such an enthusiastic and patriotic cook that this episode could have gone on for hours. Some interesting perspectives on welcoming people into your home and serving them food derived from your own life experiences.
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| 05 Sep 2024 | 70. Lindile Ndzaba - Khayelitsha's Finest Wines | 00:37:27 | |
Lindile Ndzaba is a young man I admire tremendously. He has built a wine brand with nothing but an idea and his drive to do something extraordinary in his community. Khayelitsha's Finest Wines started as a project to bring decent wine to his neighbours 'elokshini', in the sprawling township of Khayelitsha outside Cape Town. Working in the city, exposed to fine wines in his role as a front-of-house staff member, he was frustrated by the shoddy wines on offer in the taverns and eateries around his home.
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| 11 Sep 2024 | 72. Lyndall Maunder - Clarke's | 00:36:48 | |
Clarke's Bar & Dining Room is an enduring favourite daytime spot for me. It's a cool, easy spot for a coffee, breakfast or a solo lunch. If I lived in the city, I'd probably prop up their counter on many nights too. Their burgers haunt my dreams, although anything you care to order at that counter is likely to be perfectly executed and delicious. On this episode, I chatted to Lyndall Maunder - creator and owner of the Bree Street stalwart, fashioned in the style of an American diner.
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| 09 Sep 2024 | 71. Ryan Cole - COY and Salsify | 00:38:10 | |
At the water's edge, amid the bustle of a working harbour, Chef Ryan Cole has opened a gorgeous little restaurant simply called COY. While the location is in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, midway between Time Out Market and The Cape Grace, it is also aloof. Isolated from the foot traffic and bustle of the precinct, unassuming but beautiful, COY sits at the entrance to Robinson Dry Dock, the oldest operating dry dock in the world.
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| 17 Sep 2024 | 73. Heleen Meyer - Food Consultant | 00:35:39 | |
Heleen Meyer is a Cape Town-based food consultant who works across a wide range of disciplines to service companies in the broader food sphere. From recipe development to writing, styling and photography to video content production, she tells stories about food across a range of platforms. The former Sarie Magazine staffer has built a career advising and creating for corporates mainly in the fresh ingredient sector and has become a noted and respected voice in the arena of healthy eating. Chatting to Helen was fascinating and refreshing.
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| 19 Sep 2024 | 74. PJ Vadas - Vadas Smokehouse | 00:35:03 | |
PJ Vadas once worked for Gordon Ramsay, so he swears a bit. He's also a really clever and successful restaurateur who has an easy and fun approach to what he does. Vadas Smokehouse at Spier Wine Estate is a fabulous place to visit - modelled loosely on Texas BBQ, but with a distinct local signature that PJ can't help stamping on anything he does. We had a great chat and touched on fishing, pasteis de nata, his background in fine dining, his early days interning for Marcus Farbinger at Ile de Pain and, of course, the success of his smokehouse in the winelands.
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| 24 Sep 2024 | 75. Craig Cormack - The Salt Chef | 00:32:26 | |
Chef Craig Cormack is completely obsessed with salt. It began when he started reading Mark Kurlansky's brilliant book, 'Salt: A World History' and began a journey into a rich and global culinary past. It has seen him develop entire menus based on the salts of the world, the wines of the Western Cape and recipes that have been knocking around for a couple of thousand years. He has a restaurant called Salt at Waterford Estate with his business partner Beau du Toit, and they are about to open a concept restaurant in Doha, Qatar called The Salt Road. We sat down recently for a fascinating chat about his enduring love affair with one of our most basic and perhaps least-understood culinary pillars.
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| 07 Oct 2024 | 76. Ryan Shell - Ōku, Yama and Eleven | 00:55:24 | |
Ryan Shell is a lekker oke. He kindly and very graciously jumped into the gap when the original Ryan booked for this slot was suddenly called away on family business. It was a serendipitous moment though, as Ryan Shell of Ōku restaurant has been on my target list of people to interview for a while. He's a very capable operator who creates happy teams and runs great restaurants and his perspectives were refreshing and often funny. We also had a couple of good-natured jabs at Ryan Boon who I look forward to chatting to in a future show.
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| 14 Oct 2024 | 77. Lance Littlefield - Motherdough | 00:50:02 | |
Motherdough was started by Lance Littlefield and his partner Willem van Schalkwyk during lockdown as a source of advice, equipment and a a reliable starter for people caught up in the craze of baking sourdough bread. Lance's starter 'Alfonsina' is over a century old and comes from Piedmont in Italy. He's been her care-giver for over 25 years. When the world started returning to normal after Covid, and people were less focused on baking at home, Lance and Willem made the leap to open their own artisanal bakery with Alfonsina in Franschhoek. Their mission is to bake real bread and a host of other naturally leavened baked goods. I sat down with Lance to chat about Alfonsina, their travels together, and why we should all be eating real bread.
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| 17 Oct 2024 | 78. Luca Castiglione - Limoncello & Cape Town Food Trucks | 00:42:33 | |
Limoncello in Gardens was once my favourite neighbourhood eatery. It was always buzzing and fun, the pizzas were fantastic - in fact everything on the menu was. Then it closed. Limoncello became a beautiful food truck for a while and now it’s a much-loved local in Noordhoek. I sat down with owner and chef Luca Castiglione to talk about his food journey and food trucks, then I nearly made him cry when I mentioned putting pineapple on pizza.
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| 22 Oct 2024 | 79. Claudia Alberti - Not Sad Food Co. | 00:35:23 | |
Pop-ups fascinate me. I’m interested in the business model - how they work, and the benefits or challenges they present for operators. I’ve seen and heard a lot about Not Sad Food Co. so I reached out to Claudia Alberti for a chat about how (and why) she and her partner Yoraya Nydoo run pop-ups and kitchen takeovers. They’ve developed a fun, funky food brand, free of the constraints of walls and a permanent location - but what’s next?
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| 23 Oct 2024 | 80. Matthew Ibbotson - Crush! Magazine | 00:35:48 | |
Crush! online magazine is a digital food publication that started documenting food and food people in Cape Town way back in 2008. I sat down for a natter with founder, publisher and general creative head Matthew Ibbotson, and while food was at the core of the discussion, it was also about media, publishing and the effect the restaurant scene had and continues to have on the global media scene.
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| 30 Oct 2024 | 81. Tetsuo Hasegawa - Anthm | 00:33:33 | |
With a sparkling track record which includes some banging cocktail bars in New York, Tetsuo Hasegawa has brought his brand of precisely crafted cocktails to Cape Town. Anthm Bar in Loop Street is an intimate 35-seater with a fabulous small plate menu where local ingredients and global techniques are explored in both drinks and food. We sat down for an excellent chat about his journey from Japan to New York and thence to the Mother City. Enjoy.
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| 05 Nov 2024 | 82. Vusi Ndlovu - Mlilo | 00:53:39 | |
Vusi Ndlovu is the mind behind Mlilo at the Time Out Market, Cape Town. His journey to All Star chef began in hotel kitchens and grew through his time at the Greenhouse with Chef Peter Tempelhoff and later at The Saxon with Chef David Higgs. He's also been staging abroad and was a regular on the global culinary competition circuit. With partner Absie Pantshwa, he created Edge to explore his take on contemporary African cuisine in the fine dining milieu, until Mlilo gave him a chance to present simple, delicious street food from across his home continent. This was a great chat with an inspiring and inspired young chef.
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| 12 Nov 2024 | 84. Ken Kinsey-Quick - Banhoek Chilli Oil | 00:38:30 | |
In this episode of A Table in the Corner, I chat with Ken Kinsey-Quick, co-founder of Banhoek Chilli Oil, about the journey from kitchen experiments to national success and the opening of a global market. A quest with his brother-in-law Adi Meintjies to develop the perfect chilli oil to use at their dinner table led to the creation of a brand that enhances flavours in food without overpowering them. It also birthed a community farming project run by locals in Banhoek Valley where they grow chillies for the oil. There are some interesting aside about entrepreneurial spirit and focusing applying simple principles to running a successful business. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Ken and learned a lot from our conversation.
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| 08 Nov 2024 | 83. Lance Gibbons - SA Chef Conference & Expo 2024 | 00:34:22 | |
Lance Gibbons is the CEO of SA Chef Media, and along with other players in the industry like FEDHASA and SA Chefs Association, he's put together the SA Chef Conference & Expo which is happening in Cape Town on November 25 & 26. On the cards are talks by Liam Tomlin, Luke Dale-Roberts and Chris Erasmus, as well as an address by Minister of Tourism, Patricia De Lille. One of the hoped-for outcomes of the gathering is a direction for branding South Africa as a food destination to build on our already robust culinary tourism scene. My chat with lance raised some interesting talking-points and it is great to see an initiative being driven to get chefs collaborating on building our food scene further as a global tourist attraction.
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| 14 Nov 2024 | 85. Chris Erasmus - Terrarium & Newmark Hotels | 00:50:45 | |
In this episode, I sit down with one of my food heroes - Chef Chris Erasmus. He's now Group Chef of the Newmark Hotel Group, and we discuss his commitment to sustainability and the importance of sourcing from small, family-owned suppliers. We rummaged around in his culinary journey and the philosophy behind his new restaurant, Terrarium, which recently opened at the Queen Victoria Hotel in Cape Town's V&A Waterfront. Join us as we explore how Chris is redefining fine dining with a focus on hyperlocal ingredients and innovative flavors. Chris is such a lekker oke and I really enjoyed chatting to him.
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| 19 Nov 2024 | 86. Ivor Jones - CW Beau Constantia | 00:40:51 | |
Ivor Jones is one of my favourite chefs, and someone who is often mentioned on the show by his contemporaries. He's all about technique and a pin-sharp dedication to exploring, and getting, the very best out of ingredients in terms of flavour and presentation. I simply can't get to CW Beau Constantia often enough, but when I do, it's always a joy. There as so much to chat about on this episode, especially abut the challenges of seasonality in Cape Town and keeping the engine of a complex operation running, that I never got to chat to him about his recent collaboration with Jason Kosmas from Pot Luck Club and the Meuse Farm lunches. He was the very first guest on this show, so perhaps I can get him back for a third round some time soon. Hope springs eternal... but this was a great chat nonetheless.
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| 26 Nov 2024 | 87. Steven Maresch - Local Grill & Beef Club | 00:44:03 | |
They call him 'the beef guy' because he knows a lot about beef. Steven Maresh created the Local Grill Group of restaurants in Gauteng and started Beef Club where he raised both consumer and producer knowledge about raising and preparing beef products. Today he consults to beef producers on branding and marketing and works with restaurants to improve both the quality and the profitability of the beef they serve. It was fascinating chatting to him on the show.
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| 28 Nov 2024 | 88. Vicky Gurovich - Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel | 00:34:55 | |
Vicky Gurovich has recently been promoted to Executive Sous Chef at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. It's been a long time coming. She was head of pastry there under Chef Rudi Liebenberg and now runs the kitchen under the steady hand of Executive Chef Luke Barry. Together they've driven innovation in the iconic 'Nellie' Hight Team Tea and have launched a Saturday Braai experience for guests, as well as an extension of the Planet Bar serving a Mediterranean-inspired menu driven by local produce. We chatted about the revered hotel's commitment to working with sustainable local supplier and the importance of this 125-year-old institution's footprint on the culinary landscape of cape Town. Small wonder the 'Pink Lady' was recently named the best hotel in Africa and currently sits at number 28 on the World's Best Hotels list. It was so good to sit and natter with Vicky.
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| 03 Dec 2024 | 89. Absie Pantshwa - Edge & Mlilo | 00:50:27 | |
Absie Pantshwa is the other half of the Edge team that created a bunch of outstanding pop-up live-fire African dining experiences, crafted the menu at Boma on Bree, and operates Mlilo out of Time Out Market, Cape Town. Partnered with chef Vusi Ndlovu, she is a driving force behind a fresh way of looking at how African cooking lives in the culinary landscape. We sat down to talk about how she runs operations for their joint projects, but ended up spinning into a bunch of engaging thoughts on the state of play in the emerging use of African flavours, techniques and ingredients in the dining scene. There's plenty of food for thought here and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to Absie.
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| 11 Dec 2024 | 91. Catherine Haddad - Dank Dumplings | 00:38:30 | |
Catherine Haddad was recently appointed as FoH manager at the iconic Bao Down restaurant. We chatted about the service industry, and making your way as a server - the hours, the work. Mostly however, we chatted about her side-hustle. Catherine makes the most delicious dumplings. Her little cottage industry operates from the tiny kitchen of her City Bowl flat and everything - pastry to filling - is made from scratch. The evolution of Dank Dumplings kind of overshadowed the stuff about service, but it was a great chat nonetheless.
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| 09 Dec 2024 | 90. Tim Pick - Ember & Oak | 00:32:59 | |
The menu at Ember & Oak on Constantia Uitsig is a fantastic mix of globally inspired dishes prepared over live fires or in a charcoal oven. It's particularly enjoyable because Chef Tim Picks creations are served in a very casual, laid-back atmosphere, but the cooking is impeccable. I sat down to chat with Tim about his journey through some of our finest local kitchens to opening a deeply cool little eatery in the Southern Suburbs with his wife Judy. It's likely they'll be slammed in season, but it really is worth taking a chance and seeing if they can squeeze in a table if you're in the area. Tim's menu changes regularly and there's always something delicious to tempt you to one too many small plates.
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| 16 Dec 2024 | 92. Ollie Swart - Annalize Catering & Aioli | 00:32:36 | |
Chef Ollie Swart loves to cook and he really, truly loves feeding people. He even went out and got us cheese & ham croissants from Foxcroft to scoff during our chat. Ollie's Instagram Profile is a thing of pure joy - full of a happy, enthusiastic young chef enjoying the hell out of creating and sharing food. His more than 45k followers are testament to the infectious nature of his love for cooking and catering. We sat down for a natter about working for the iconic Annalize Catering; menus that are more than just 'chicken a la king'; creating a retail food range; and marrying the boss's daughter - among other things. We also squeezed in a mention of his cookbook, due on-shelf this Summer '24/'25. It was funny and loud and energetic, just like Ollie.
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| 18 Dec 2024 | 93. Abigail Donnelly - Taste Magazine & Eat Out | 00:58:28 | |
I've been wanting to chat to Abigail Donnelly on the show for absolute ages. Her recipes and food styling for local magazines have delivered global cuisines and flavours to South African homes for almost two decades. From the pages of Taste magazine - mouthpiece of Woolworths Food - to the tables of the country's top eateries, hers is a powerful voice in driving how we cook, and how we understand the restaurant industry. On the first day of Abigail's well-deserved year-end leave, we sat down for a natter at her home on Cape Town's southern peninsula.
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| 01 Jan 2025 | 94. Johke Steenkamp - Grumpy & Runt | 00:43:55 | |
In this week's episode of A Table in the Corner, the first for 2025, we explore the delightful world of Grumpy & Runt, a vegan donut shop co-owned by Johke Steenkamp and Carla Gontier. This little beaut shares premises with Ditto, the oat milk ice cream spot on Kloof Street. I chat to Johke about how G&R started out, some of the challenges along the way and mostly about how they have intentionally built a business that celebrates inclusivity and sustainability through their artisanal donuts. Johke and Carla have crafted not just a menu of indulgent treats, but also become the centre of an alternative movement that champions delicious plant-based living in Cape Town.
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| 06 Jan 2025 | 95. Andrew Nel - Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants | 00:46:04 | |
In this episode, I chat to Andrew Nel of Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants, an ethical butchery with branches in the Woodstock, Gardens and Claremont suburbs of Cape Town. FFMM was founded by Andy Fenner and his wife Nicole to honour the practice of nose-to-tail eating, in which they emphasised sustainable practices by sourcing whole animals and using every part with respect. Andrew joined the business in 2017 and continues the journey, having added long table events to the FFMM calendar to foster a deeper connection between consumers and their food while promoting conscious meat consumption. By championing ethical sourcing in the heart of the city, they are the go-to supplier for an entire generation of Capetonians who want to make better choices about the provenance of their food - especially meat.
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| 13 Jan 2025 | 96. William Jardine - The Kitchin, Edinburgh | 00:26:30 | |
William Jardine is a young chef who, at 22, is a line chef (or chef de partie) in a prestigious Edinburgh restaurant. The Kitchin was the first establishment in Scotland to receive a Michelin Star and focuses on working with the very best in Scottish produce. It is one of Scotland’s most celebrated eateries. As the son of George and Louise Jardine, William is no stranger to award-winning restaurants though. We sat down for a chat about how it’s going, how he got there, and what he’s planning to do with his international cheffing experience.
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| 27 Jan 2025 | 100. George Jardine - Fireman | 00:47:52 | |
George Jardine needs very little introduction if you've followed the Western Cape Restaurant scene for any length of time. There was a stretch when he was repeatedly named the best chef in South Africa and his restaurants have been in the local honour rolls regularly over the past two decades. I consider him a friend - even though it took ages for him to agree to appear on the show. Our chat ranged from his early career and getting going in cooking to his current role as the Culinary Director of Valor Hospitality for Africa and the Middle East. There's also a loaded question or two about the local restaurant scene and current dining trends. I never got him to break out in song, but it was a really great chat.
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| 15 Jan 2025 | 97. David Higgs - Marble and Pantry | 00:30:27 | |
David Higgs made his bones in the local dining scene in the mid- to late-‘naughties’ when he helmed the multi-award winning Rust en Vrede restaurant in the Western Cape Winelands. Then he packed up and went to Jo'burg and chatter around this lively, entertaining and gifted chef got a bit quiet for a while. Then the buzz started about The Saxon's kitchen and he was in the awards lists again. In 2016, along with partner Gary Kyriacou, David opened Marble restaurant in Rosebank with its impressive wood-fired grill. It was all about live-fire cooking and a hell of a vibe - the toast of Johannesburg. Now he's opened Marble Cape Town. In the middle of a busy season, with one foot in the Mother City and the other in eGoli, David found some time to sit down for a chat about restaurants and the partners' baby; Pantry.
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| 20 Jan 2025 | 98. Ayesha Bibi - The Charming Chef | 00:28:57 | |
Ayesha Bibi (Juwaley) runs a superb little patisserie business out of Makers Landing at the Ocean Cruise Terminal in the V&A Waterfront. We sat down for a chat about her journey from studying film and environmental science at University to being an accomplished pastry chef. After studying at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Cape Town, she joined the kitchen at The One & Only Hotel, where she worked for six years before lighting out on her own. I was keen to understand how one runs an online business based on such a delicate and perishable product as cakes and baked treats, and our chat touched on that and other matters related to running a little business out of the Makers Landing food incubator.
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| 22 Jan 2025 | 99. Keanon Michaels - Keanon's Kitchen | 00:29:27 | |
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