Judging the Food & Home Awards 2026
The Food & Home awards give South African brands meaningful recognition and help consumers discover products that may otherwise never find their way into their kitchens. By being a Food & Home judge I can hopefully help these exceptional South African products receive the attention they deserve.
Suur Bakery in Foreshore
If you like bread as much as I do, you need to check out Suur Bakery in Foreshore. It is the new home of Francois Zietsman, whom I first met back when he was operating out of Makers Landing. After running The Bread Bar for few years at the V&A Cruise Terminal, Francois has opened this dedicated space - a “lifestyle bakery brand”. The name Suur (Afrikaans for sour) is a clever wink to the sourdough at the heart of the business.
Chef Ollie’s new cook book Freestyle Cooking available at Poetry stores
Chef Ollie’s latest cook book Freestyle Cooking is now for sale at selected Poetry stores nationwide. I joined him - and many other foodies from Cape Town- at the Seapoint flagship store to enjoy some of his dishes and buy his cookbook.
Cape Talk interview with The Roasted Dad
After collaborating with Juicy Delicious and creating several recipes including stone fruit, I was invited on Cape Talk to cook three of these dishes and share some braai tips.
Annerkant Die Berg Festival Afrikaans Food & South African Wine Event
The Annerkant die Berg festival is hosted at various wineries in the Breedekloof Wine Valley. Merwida Vineyards and Du Toitskloof are unique in that they work together during this time in hosting a collaborative event, pairing their wines with delicious food.
HOME.BAO’s Frozen Dumplings and Potstickers
I love cooking with Asian flavours, but making these little pockets of goodness from scratch myself is not something I’ve ventured into. And with HOME.BAO, I don’t have to! I met Tina when I visited the MasterChef set. We quickly got talking and realised we had a lot in common: we are both foodies -of course- but also entrepreneurs.
The Food&Home Awards - Introducing the Judges for 2024
It is that time of year again! Recently, this year’s Food&Home Awards judges were announced, and it is about time I introduce them to you. These judges have both the privilege and the responsibility to taste South Africa’s leading brands’ food and drink products and determine which are the best of the best.
Selling authentically South African Marie Biscuit Fudge at a Market
I have fond memories of myself, as a child, going around then neighbourhood with sticks in pots with soil, dragged around on a little cart, selling my ‘plants’ to any willing neighbour willing to part ways with a few coins. In my later years, I had many different ventures, and selling Marie Biscuit Fudge was one of them.
I eventually grew up, and became an entrepreneur. And to this day I wonder if my early childhood memories of sales and entrepreneurship are what shaped me to become who I am today.
Why I never started a restaurant after winning MasterChef South Africa
“Why did you not start a restaurant after winning MasterChef?”
This is probably one of the question I get asked most often. I started my Instagram account The Roasted Dad during the Covid-19 lockdown. After winning MasterChef South Africa, The Roasted Dad became more than just a passion project. I became more serious about food and cooking. I started running events, from cook-with-me demos, to pop-up restaurants, restaurant takeovers, and food and wine pairings. I designed a menu to be enjoyed onboard LIFT Airlines. But I never started a restaurant.
Italian Food, Wine & Music Pairing at Feastival
When I was asked to do another restaurant pop-up at Feastival, I was hesitant. I never started a restaurant because I think it would take the fun out of it for me. But something niggled at me. I do really enjoy the challenge of designing a menu, and love cooking in front of people and sharing my passion about food and the stories behind it. I enjoy collaborating with proudly South African small businesses, who are just as passionate about “food as a craft” as I am.
And when my wife asked me “will it bring you joy?”, and I knew the answer to that question was “yes” the decision was made.