A Table in the Corner

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...

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 vineyard...

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 ma...

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...

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 g...

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 s...

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 t...

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 evolu...

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...

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. Errieda's Instagram www.rwm2012.com On Instagram @a_table_int...

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...

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 i...

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,...

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...

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. Heinstirred Hein's blog about this episo...

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...

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...

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. The Foodbarn - Noordhoek www.rwm2012.com On Instagram...

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...

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 bi...

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...

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. www.rwm2012.com On Insta...

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 th...

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...

www.rwm2012.com On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay