Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast A Table in the Corner
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
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| S2-18. Lello's Deli - Chiara and Dani Turilli | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:45:27 | |
In this Special Thursday episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with brother and sister team Danillo and Chiara Turilli, the operators behind Lello’s Deli, to talk about inheritance, identity and building something deeply personal in a city that is moving as quickly as Cape Town is right now. Raised within a family restaurant business run by their father, the Turillis describe themselves as restaurant babies who tried, unsuccessfully, to escape hospitality. Danillo left for fashion photography in Hamburg. Chiara moved into food styling and corporate work. Yet both found themselves drawn back to the rhythms of service, family recipes and the particular weight of Italian food culture. The conversation traces the evolution from Scarpetta, their father’s final and most personal restaurant, to Lello’s original De Waterkant deli and now its move to Sea Point. We talk about counter service in a culture that resists it, charging properly for ingredients whose price reflects their authenticity, and refusing to dilute tradition for comfort. Mortadella is the real thing. Amatriciana is made with guanciale. Coffee is served the Italian way. They speak candidly about legacy, grief and closing their father’s restaurant after his passing, choosing instead to carry forward the parts that mattered to them. There is no master plan here, only instinct shaped by upbringing: seasonal tomatoes jarred for winter, pizza al taglio sold by weight, pasta made the way their family remembers it. This is a conversation about diaspora, stubbornness and the responsibility of doing things properly, told by two operators who understand that authenticity is not a marketing position but a lived inheritance. Thumbnail image by Soh Bang Contact me with thoughts or suggestions for the show on russel@rwm2012.com
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| S2-17. Arum - Travis Finch | 23 Feb 2026 | 00:33:39 | |
In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel travels to Boschendal to sit down with Travis Finch, head chef of Arum, to talk about cooking inside one of the Cape’s most ambitious agricultural ecosystems. Travis reflects on a career shaped by formative years with Peter Tempelhoff’s team and long stints abroad, before returning home to cook at the intersection of land, produce and restraint. The conversation centres on what it means to cook on a regenerative farm at scale, with direct access to gardens, livestock and orchards, and how that proximity reshapes menu thinking, waste, seasonality and responsibility. Travis talks about breaking down formality without lowering standards, working with whole animals and vegetables alike, and designing food that reflects abundance rather than excess. We also explore the realities of running a restaurant across breakfast, lunch and dinner, collaborating with farming teams, and feeding produce back into the wider restaurant group. This is a thoughtful, grounded discussion about provenance, process and pace, told by a chef who understands that the future of cooking is inseparable from how the land beneath it is treated. Learn more about Arum at Boschendal here Get a fair price with HeadsUp
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| S2-08. Melfort - Tasmin Reed | 15 Dec 2025 | 00:34:54 | |
In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Tasmin Reid, the young, fiercely thoughtful chef behind Melfort, a seasonal farm to fork restaurant on Marianne Estate near Stellenbosch. Tasmin shares her journey from Silwood Kitchen to working with Ryan Cole at Salsify, her plans for Australia, and how an unexpected autoimmune diagnosis reshaped both her life and her style of cooking. Now the owner of a popular winelands restaurant, she speaks openly about healing through food, foraging, running pop ups on farms, building a kitchen team in the middle of nowhere and creating a menu that is as nourishing as it is delicious. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, seasonal cooking, youthful ambition and what it really takes to open a restaurant on your own terms. More about Melfort Every booking is a first impression. Make a good one with Novel Chat to Mischa or Sash of Socially Unacceptable here
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| 70. Lindile Ndzaba - Khayelitsha's Finest Wines | 05 Sep 2024 | 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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| 69. Tania Olivier - ATE Eatery | 27 Aug 2024 | 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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| 68. Samantha Skyring - Oryx Salt | 22 Aug 2024 | 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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| 67. Kit Heathcock - The Burger Chat | 16 Aug 2024 | 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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| 66. Liam Tomlin - Chefs Warehouse | 13 Aug 2024 | 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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| 65. Georgina Visser - Dalewood Cheese | 08 Aug 2024 | 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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| 64. Alex Bosman - Head Gardener, Babylonstoren | 06 Aug 2024 | 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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| 63. Schalk Vlok - Babel at Babylonstoren | 01 Aug 2024 | 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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| 62. Charmaine Lilje & Kenneth McClarty | 30 Jul 2024 | 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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| 61. Nic Haarhoff - El Burro Tacqueria | 24 Jul 2024 | 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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| S2-07. TTK Fledgelings - Nathan Clarke | 10 Dec 2025 | 00:25:40 | |
In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Chef Nathan Clark, head chef of Test Kitchen Fledgelings. Apologies in advance - the sound quality is not the best, as I had a few technical challenges, but Nathan's story is incredible. He shares his remarkable journey from scullery to running the kitchen, rising through the ranks of the Test Kitchen group over 13 years. He speaks openly about learning under Luke Dale Roberts and Jason Kosmas, mentoring young chefs through the Fledgelings programme, and the pressures of leading a busy service in one of the city’s most important training kitchens. The conversation explores how menus are developed, how teams are built from the ground up, and the dishes that guests refuse to let leave the menu. A grounded, humbling look at discipline, mentorship, resilience and what it really takes to grow inside a world class restaurant group. For more on TTK Fledgelings, click here Every booking is a first impression. Make a good one with Novel the contemporary restaurant booking system. Chat to Mischa or Sash of Socially Unacceptable here
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| 60. Richard Key - Restaurateur and Restaurant Consultant | 18 Jul 2024 | 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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| 59. Ilana Sharlin Stone - Food Writer and Chef | 15 Jul 2024 | 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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| 58. Ferdiane Barabwiriza - Sense of Taste Chef School | 10 Jul 2024 | 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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| 57. Pierre Winshaw - Winshaw Eatery | 04 Jul 2024 | 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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| 56. Holly Rey - Baking with the Reys | 27 Jun 2024 | 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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| 55. Di Bibby - Bibby's Kitchen | 24 Jun 2024 | 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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| 54. Adam Mason - Raised by Wolves, Yardstick Wines | 21 Jun 2024 | 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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| 53. Dave & Ishara Chetty - Doughed, Durban | 14 Jun 2024 | 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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| 52. Theo Chiloane - 9th Avenue Waterside, Durban | 12 Jun 2024 | 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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| 51. Ndumiso Mncwabe - Authentiq, Durban | 11 Jun 2024 | 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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| S2-06. Emotions of the Sun - Seth Shezi | 08 Dec 2025 | 00:28:43 | |
In this episode of A Table in the Corner, we step into the golden world of Veuve Clicquot’s Emotions of the Sun, the global photographic exhibition created with the legendary Magnum Photos agency, now shining in Cape Town at Youngblood Gallery on Bree Street. My guest is Seth Shezi, Celebrity MasterChef winner, global traveller and lifestyle tastemaker, who curated the Sun on Your Plate Café for the exhibition. Inspired by light, optimism and the emotional power of the sun, Seth created a Cape Town centred menu perfectly paired with Veuve Clicquot’s cuvées, including the iconic Yellow Label. We talk about his journey into cooking, his long relationship with Veuve Clicquot, how Magnum’s photographers shaped his creative thinking, and how Cape Town’s light, colour and energy influenced the dishes he created for this unique summer experience. Seth also shares insights into South Africa’s evolving food identity, the chefs exciting him right now, and how he balances a global lifestyle with his South African roots. The Emotions of the Sun exhibition runs from 4 to 21 December at Youngblood Gallery, 70 Bree Street, Cape Town. Tickets include a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and access to the exhibition, the Sun on Your Plate Café and the gifting boutique. Book via howler.co.za and soak up the sun. Book at to experience Emotions of the Sun: https://www.howler.co.za Every booking is a first impression. Make a good one with Novel Chat to Mischa or Sash of Socially Unacceptable here
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| 50. Amy Gardiner - Humble Coffee, Durban | 06 Jun 2024 | 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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| 49. Brian Green - Group 44 Properties | 04 Jun 2024 | 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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| 48. Rupesh Kassen - Eat Like a Local | 31 May 2024 | 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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| 47. Anwar Abdullatief - The Happy Uncles | 24 May 2024 | 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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| 46. Bertus Basson - Motorcycle and Land Rover Enthusiast | 17 May 2024 | 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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| 45. Richard Bosman - Charcutier | 10 May 2024 | 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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| 44. Jason Kosmas - Pot Luck Club - The 'Season Chat’ | 03 May 2024 | 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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| 43. Courtney Cara Lawson - Bartender : Fable | 26 Apr 2024 | 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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| 42. Jason Lilley - Jason Bakery | 19 Apr 2024 | 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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| 41. Kiara Scott - Brookdale Wine Estate | 15 Apr 2024 | 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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| S2-05. Galjoen - Anouchka Horn | 01 Dec 2025 | 00:34:52 | |
Join me at my table in the corner for this incredible conversation with chef Anouchka Horn, co-owner of Cape Town’s acclaimed restaurants Belly of the Beast and Galjoen. In this episode, Anouchka shares her journey from her grandmother’s traditional Afrikaans kitchen to becoming a leading voice in ingredient-driven, low-waste South African dining. For more on Galjoen, click here Every booking is a first impression. Make a good one with Novel Chat to Mischa or Sash of Socially Unacceptable here
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| 40. Sheryl Ozinsky - OZCF Market | 09 Apr 2024 | 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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| 39. Kevin Wood - Adventurer and Brewer, Darling | 31 Mar 2024 | 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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| 38. Abena Danquah - Ghana Jollof | 28 Mar 2024 | 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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| 37. Emma Wilson - Commercial Food Stylist | 26 Mar 2024 | 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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| 36. Charles Bryant - Six Dogs Gin | 19 Mar 2024 | 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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| 35. Luke Dale Roberts - Salon, Pot Luck Club, Test Kitchen Fledgelings | 15 Mar 2024 | 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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| 34. Dale Kushner - Bigga D's Food Truck | 12 Mar 2024 | 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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| 33. Errieda du Toit - SA Food Maven - Episode 2 | 05 Mar 2024 | 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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| 32. Errieda du Toit - SA Food Maven - Episode 1 | 01 Mar 2024 | 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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| 31. Iming Lin - Meuse Farm | 27 Feb 2024 | 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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| S2-04. Post & Pepper - Jess van Dyk | 24 Nov 2025 | 00:34:44 | |
Join us at A Table in the Corner as we chat with Chef Jess Van Dyk, the creative force behind Post & Pepper in Stellenbosch. From growing up in a small town with a love of food, to training at top kitchens, and now running her own restaurant, Jess shares her journey in the culinary world. Message me here with comments or guest suggestions. Chat to Mischa or Sash of Socially Unacceptable here
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| 30. Gillian Key - Mozambik N1 City | 20 Feb 2024 | 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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| 29. Steve Duke - No Fixed Address | 16 Feb 2024 | 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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| 28. Hein van Tonder - Photographer and Ceramicist | 13 Feb 2024 | 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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