I live in Green Point, work in Sea Point and play anywhere where’s there’s good food and wine!
I’m a chef and food stylist who cooks on TV.
My career has been a fun ride so far as I get to cook on TV. I also released my international award-winning cookbook in February 2016.
I won the TV award for ‘best female host and placed second in the category ‘best TV chef cookbook (English) at the 2017 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
5. What do you love about your industry?
I love that the food industry is ever-changing. Every day, chefs are creating new dishes and discovering new ingredients. I also love that food is a unifier, it brings people together.
I wake up at about 6AM, head over to the set of Expresso, get my make-up done, then cook live on the show. Once the show wraps, I brief my assistant on the content for the following day’s food content. I take care of any admin related to the food content. I write recipes for food clients, then meet with the clients to brainstorm ideas for campaigns. I squeeze in a food shoot with the insert crew on location.
Once the work day is “over,” I usually head over to a food event to network and discover a new food product or restaurant. Then I finally go to bed, sleep for six hours if I’m lucky, then wake up to start all over again.
The basic essentials for a chef are a sharp chef’s knife, a sturdy chopping board and a sturdy set of pots and pans... of course, you need a stove and an oven too, otherwise, there wouldn’t be much cooking going on!
There are so many chefs getting it right, we have so many great restaurants producing world-class food in SA that it wouldn’t be fair to pinpoint just one.
We could definitely use more female chefs in head chef positions. The industry is still very male-dominated, and I think a lot of us female chefs have a lot to offer.
I’m working on a few exciting projects for 2018, but I’d rather keep it, mum, until the projects launch officially.
11. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.
We’re chefs, not a cooks... We studied hard for three years to earn the title, please refer to us as such.If you haven’t been sworn at and had things thrown at you in the heat of a Saturday restaurant service, you haven’t lived. #cheflife
While shopping at markets and in the middle of the night, when I wake up to go to the loo!
I’ve been known to do a little twerking at weddings... only at the request of the bride, of course!
Pictures of food, pictures of me, pictures from my travels, pictures of my friends.
Persistence is key. If food is your passion, then follow through with it and keep at it. Like with everything when you first start out, it’s tough. But it’s all worth it in the end to do something you truly love.
Simple as that. Click here for more on Nene, and interact with her on the following social media platforms: website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook.
*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.