South Africa has long been known for its lively culinary scene. But three women chef entrepreneurs in the country are demonstrating that it’s not only about creating great food for customers. It’s also about sharing their culinary knowledge with others. Chef Naledi, Chef Teddy and The Lazy Makoti, otherwise known as Mogau Seshoene, are all taking their specialist knowledge and expertise to the next level by teaching others how to cook.
Each of these talented women chef entrepreneurs has found a distinctive business niche in which to operate, and as a result, they are also building their reputations and growing their businesses to become culinary powerhouses of tomorrow.
Chef Naledi Toona, known simply as Chef Naledi, started out in business as a private chef, cooking for clients in their homes and business environments. However, she is building a second business reputation as a culinary instructor, helping others to build their knowledge and experience of cooking at home. She specialises in teaching domestic workers to expand their culinary skills and repertoires in order to cook for their employers. She also offers unique cooking classes for small events such as baby and bridal showers, bringing culinary fun to any party gathering.
Chef Teddy, or Teddy Mwale as she is properly known in business, is the founder of Excellare Foods. She is a passionate chef who is building a successful business aimed at catering for the corporate world. However, her skills and interest in the world of confectionary, are leading her to expand into the commercialization of her frozen healthy dessert ranges, providing another string to her culinary bow. Her passion for upskilling a new generation of young chefs in the country is driving her ambition to open a culinary institute in the near future, one that can train and develop youngsters who have ambitions to be chefs one day too.
Her love of traditional South African cuisine drove Mogau Seshoene, otherwise known as The Lazy Makoti, to set up her business teaching people to cook the traditional recipes that mothers and grandmothers used to make. Her passion for teaching others led her to a television series where she was able to communicate to a wider audience her passion for South African cooking. It also led to her expanding her business to produce a range of practical, colourful kitchen accessories such as chopping boards and aprons, all aimed at inspiring others to head to the kitchen and start cooking.
Meet these three pioneering culinary entrepreneurs from South Africa and get inspired.
Chef Naledi, Private Chef and Cooking Instructor (South Africa)
They say that to build a successful business, you should start with your specialist skills, passion and knowledge, and harness those as the basis for a business that can grow. This is an approach being taken to the full by the talented Chef Naledi, a South African private chef and culinary instructor who is now helping others to build their knowledge and experience of cooking at home. - Read Naledi's startup story.
Ntediseng Mwale (Teddy), founder of Excellere Foods (South Africa)
They say food is love, and when prepared by passionate chefs who have a love and respect for the ingredients they use, combined with a creative eye and hand, that love is passed on to the customer. South African chef and entrepreneur, Ntediseng Mwale (Teddy), founder of Excellere Foods, is passion personified in the kitchen. - Read Ntediseng's startup story.
Mogau Seshoene, founder of The Lazy Makoti (South Africa)
In the world of entrepreneurship in Africa, some of the most inspirational and exciting businesses are being created by those women who make a brave career pivot and leave the safety of the corporate world to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. South African entrepreneur Mogau Seshoene is one such woman. With her company, The Lazy Makoti (love the name!), she is inspiring the country’s kitchens by teaching traditional South African cooking to local women. - Read Mogau's startup story.