One thing about Cape Town’s food scene? It’s ever-changing, which means that in recent years, it’s opened itself up to be increasingly inclusive. Black and brown people finally have the chance and spaces to celebrate their heritage, experience other cultures, and feel a sense of pride in the process.
Thyme With the Chefs is an exciting new movement that offers this through pop-up dinners and events, and even mixes fashion through colour themes and dress codes.
It’s the brainchild of chefs Asithandile (Asi) Ndamase and Athi Ntwakumba, who first met while studying at the Cape Town Hotel School. Their paths crossed again when they both returned to work at the school.
“The name was a collaborative idea,” says Athi of their punny and genius name. “We knew we wanted people to spend time with us as we create this innovative culinary experience. And we both love herbs, especially thyme, so it just made sense. It changed many times before we finally settled on ‘Thyme With the Chefs’.”
With events like Masibuyel’embo (which means “let’s go back to our roots” in isiXhosa), hosted at venues such as Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront, they’re working hard to bring indigenous African ingredients to the fore, presenting them in new and exciting ways that preserve tradition while embracing modern culinary experiences.
They’ve experienced great success, with people showing up in large numbers to support them, even though they only host the event quarterly. The most recent edition, Imifino (greens), took place on Saturday, 26 July and featured a five-course menu with wine pairings.
“The response has been amazing, and it comes as a surprise to us,” Athi admits. “We didn’t know we would be selling out each time we put out tickets for a new event. But we put in a lot to ensure that people want to come and share the experience with their friends for future events.”
Aside from educating and entertaining their attendees, sustainability is also at the core of what they do, particularly when it comes to sourcing ingredients.
“We try to source most of our ingredients from local suppliers, especially in small communities like KwaLanga. The rest we get from supermarkets like Makro,” says Athi. “We’re very aware of South Africa’s extremely high youth unemployment rates, so sustainably using ingredients is rooted in our core values with Masibuyel’embo.”
Naturally, running events of this nature requires one to be on it — if you’ve watched even just one episode of The Bear or MasterChef, you’ll be familiar with the immense amount of pressure chefs are under. Asi and Athi’s history from their student days and chemistry helps.
“The highlight of working together would probably be that we complement each other,” Athi says. “We know when one person is anxious or stressed out… that’s when the other person knows they need to step in. The show must go on, whether we like it or not. Add to that the logistics and sourcing of equipment — even during the last few days before an event, we’re still running around making sure everything is perfect.”
So, what’s next for this visionary duo? According to their mission statement for the Masibuyel’embo series, they want to foster connection and a sense of community through food. And what better way to bring people together than with proudly African cuisine?
Another aim of theirs is to educate people about the historical and cultural significance of ingredients such as impepho (South African sage, which is frequently used in spiritual rituals and to purify the air in a household).
“We’re on a mission to get more funding and get more brand collaborations and sponsorships,” says Athi. “We want to expand the event beyond Cape Town — without a doubt, there’s a market for this in other cities around the country.”
