Ladds shares his experiences as Mandela’s chef

During his career, Brett Ladds was gifted a cigar by Fidel Castro, was invited to enjoy a glass of whiskey with Prince Charles and even had Quincy Jones enjoy his cooking so much that the music producer burst into song.

The public can get a glimpse into his experiences now that Ladds has published his first book about his career as a chef.

On 15 May, Ladds launched his book The Madiba Appreciation Club: A Chef’s Story at the Skoobs Theatre of Books at Montecasino. In it, he describes the six years (from 1994 until 2000) that he worked as Nelson Mandela’s private chef at the presidential guest house in Pretoria. As the head of state of a newly democratic South Africa, Mandela was visited by numerous world leaders, public figures and celebrities, all of whom Ladds had to cook for.

Along with personal anecdotes written with characteristic humour, Ladds also told an intensely personal story of a white man entering adulthood during a difficult time in the country’s history, and the man who stepped up to lead a greatly divided nation.

“Let’s be honest, [all the famous people I’ve met] only came to South Africa in order to meet Mandela, to spend time with this incredible man,” Ladds told the audience present for the launch.

“In my book, I’m trying to tell the world about who these celebrities really are. I got to spend time with Mandela from 5am until 7am in the morning, and then I would see him from 5pm until he went to bed each night. One thing he taught me was that we are all human, and I pray that this book teaches people that.”

An overarching theme in Ladds’ talk was how unexpectedly kind, friendly and polite the majority of Mandela’s guests were to him and the other staff. He described how former British Prime Minister Tony Blair spent his entire trip complimenting those working in the guest house and how Prince Charles was certainly not the ‘asshole’ portrayed in the media.

“Robert Mugabe visited three times while I worked there,” Ladds said. “And to me, he was one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, he could have been Mandela’s older brother. Although remember that I am speaking from a personal perspective, not about politics or what he has done.

“He never judged anyone, never complained and took the time to really listen to the people that he met.”

In response to a question from the audience, Ladds also revealed that while Mandela ate and lived an incredibly healthy way, his favourite meal was lamb chops, a dinner he had about once a week and enjoyed as his guilty pleasure.

The book is the first work that Ladds has published, but he also hopes to produce a cookbook full of his favourite recipes in the future.

Details: www.facebook.com/Skoobs-Theatre-of-Books-175974159089133/