Brackenhurst resident turns his passion into his job

What started off as a hobby has turned into his day job and then into a successful business.

Today, Claude Diab (45) from Bassonia runs a kitchen in Brackenhurst and brings you not only quantities that can feed a family of five to eight, but quality food as well.

He previously owned a bacon factory where he specialised solely in making bacon right before the Covid-19 pandemic, which crippled his business, forcing him to close down. With his business closing down, Claude took the opportunity to sell Kibbeh, a Lebanese meal, which is described as an addictive, fine and tasty dish, from his home.

Claude had been making Kibbeh from his home for about a year, purely as a hobby, and then decided he is going to try his hand at dishing up what he calls his mega-meals.

Word spread and soon there was a high demand for his mouth-watering meals, which allowed him to expand and officially open his own business in Brackenhurst, called Kebbeh King Foods.

“I had been selling Kibbeh from my place and I later decided to make mega-meals, which is where this business was born. The business picked up , pushing me to focus solely on it. I then started to advertise on Facebook. It grew even more, which prompted me to get a bigger place,” he said.

Claude caters cost-efficient mega-meals which can be ordered from Mr Delivery and are delivered anywhere and as far as Midrand and Pretoria.

He also serves burgers, mega wraps and Lebanese spaghetti, to name a few. He has received great and positive response from food lovers, with many describing his meals as best quality.

“My food is loved by many and people go absolutely mad for it. I have even given it to vegetarians and they loved it. Food is my passion and I take pride in my meals. I believe I’m finally doing what I enjoy the most and there is no one that does exactly what I do,” said Claude.

The father of two works closely with his seven employees, bringing good food to your table.

Self-taught cook

His success and years of experience were not simply handed on a silver platter.

He told the RECORD sacrifice, dedication and commitment contributed immensely to his success.

“My knowledge mostly came from our family business, that’s where I learnt how to pull strings in this line of work. I was never a chef, but I’m self-taught and I live a simple life. I put my money where my mouth is and I believe this food is for kings and queens,” said Claude.

He also said he finds inspiration in himself and strives to be a better person each day in his line of work.

“I inspire myself. To me, this is a hobby and something which I’m truly passionate about. This is the life that I want to live. I’m also confident in my trained staff and we are ready to serve delicious meals to different communities,” said Claude.