She continues to honour his memory with food he loved and also serves humanity. She goes down memory lane with Aurelia Mbokazi-Kashe.
Tell us about your experience as late President Nelson Mandela’s chef.
Working for a global icon of our time was a huge honour for me. The lessons I learned firsthand from him and his family were life-changing. He was a man of peace, a father of the nation, and accepted people from all walks of life. He lived the values he shared with the world. He became more than an employer to me, and was like a father!
You began cooking for Madiba in 1992. Tell us about your journey.
Like most black South Africans from a disadvantaged background, I started out working as a domestic worker. However, I was passionate about food. When an opportunity to enroll at a culinary school presented itself, I jumped at it. My first job as a chef was at the Coronation Hotel in Johannesburg. A friend from culinary school, Gloria Nocanda, recommended me when Madiba was looking for a personal chef. I cooked for him for just over 22 years, until his last days.
What were the lessons your learned from Madiba?
I learned firsthand about humanity, the importance of reconciliation, and accept all people as equals regardless of their background.
He taught me to listen to criticism and learn from my mistakes so I could improve and be the best at what I do. Respect was also very important to him; he respected everyone and treated everyone as though we were important.
What does Mandela Day mean to you and what will you be busy with?
Mandela Day means sharing, caring, and doing good without expecting a reward. I love children and spending time with fellow women. I visit schools and contribute in their food security programmes, helping women and children to sustainably run food gardens in the schoolyards and help them produce simple, nutritious meals.
Which were his favourite dishes?
Madiba loved traditional African food, especially the food that he ate as a child growing up in the villages of Mvezo and Qunu, in the Eastern Cape. Those dishes reminded him of his mother’s cooking. Umphokoqo na masi (krammelpap or phutu pap with sour milk); umngqusho (samp and beans) and umleqwa (organic, farmed chicken) were his favourites.
When he ate umngqusho he opened a hole in the centre of his plate to pour the source, and he would expect the people dining with him to do the same. When he ate his chicken, he would put the cutlery down and eat the pieces with his fingers.
Over the year you have cooked for global icons who were Madiba’s guests. What are the memorable encounters with icons that stand out?
It was always an honour to serve any of Tata’s guests. All his guests were always humble and warm. From Michael Jackson, to former US President Bill Clinton and Oprah were no different.
They would come to kitchen to say ‘thank you’ after a meal. It was surreal and I couldn’t believe that such iconic people were capable of such humility.
On one of his visits, Michael Jackson brought me an engraved silver tray as token of thanks. His kindness left me speechless.
How was the experience bringing out your first recipe book, Ukutya Kwasekhaya?
Releasing my first cookbook with Madiba’s blessings was a huge honour and a dream come true. It had always been my wish to share my passion for cooking with the rest of the world. I also saw it as my way of not only honouring Madiba for entrusting me with his life and giving me such an important position, to cook for him and his family but also as an opportunity to share our South African cuisine with the world.
You recently published a second recipe book. Please tell us more about it.
Food brings people together and makes them happy and books afford me an opportunity to touch people from different parts of the world and be part of their celebrations and milestones.
My second book will be launched in September. We worked really hard on the recipes and I am excited about it and believe people will learn a lot from it.
Where can people taste your food?
I am part of the team at Sanctuary Mandela in Houghton. This was his first home and has been transformed into a luxury boutique hotel that celebrates his life and memory. This is where I began my journey of serving Tata. At the restaurant, we serve food inspired by what I used to serve him.
