That Food Guy – SA cookbook authors you should know of

A publisher is attempting to localise the cookbook scene, through accessible and affordable cookbooks. 

That Food Guy has been responsible for cookbooks from familiar names such as DStv Delicious, Chef Zola Nene and J’Something. 

That Food Guy

The publisher has recognised readers’ needs by having short-format cookbooks that readers feel they can make. 

However, they do publish longer formats, championing South African authors that we are not aware of such as the tannie next door or baker who you feel makes the best sourdough bread in your neighbourhood. 

What makes South African cuisine tick is its authentic dishes that should be passed on and mass marketed. 

Dale Herbst, the brains behind That Food Guy, which started in 2013, said it was important for them to have a diverse selection when it came to their authors and have consumers actually make the recipes from the cookbooks. 

“There has been a lack of representation in terms of African food content. I think one of the biggest purposes of our company is to archive South African food content,” he said. 

WATCH: That Food Guy Shop gives voice to local cookbook authors

This is something Funeka Peppta reiterated, the business and accounts lead of the foodie hub. She is from the Eastern Cape and says she is proud of her roots and would find it unsettling to her have childhood stories and culture lost over time. 

“When I think about culture as getting more diluted [is] because we are not holding on to the stories and passing [them] down.” 

She says it is important to document our grandmother’s, and mother’s recipes. This is what encompasses what That Food Guy shop is – having a platform for proudly South African content creators and serving as a ‘food news channel’ for pantry ingredients and recipes. 

Already having an online platform to access these, they decided to open their own shop in partnership with another proudly South African brand, the Play Braamfontein project by Adam Levy. 

That Guy Food Shop can be found at 73 Juta Street, Braamfontein, and is worth a visit to push local purchases. 

The authors 

As it’s their time to shine, Herbst considers the sourdough of author Corvin Pietersen of Broodkop the best he’s ever tasted and we can’t deny it’s one of the best for us as well.

Another author impressively holding her hand up for one of the best puff pastries is Chef Carol van der Horst. 

Her journey and love for baking and cooking has never ended, despite working in the corporate world for most of her life. Speaking to The Citizen, Carol says puff pastry is an intimidating skill, most of us easily purchase store-bought pastry as we are too scared to even attempt making it. 

Through her passion for pastry and cakes, she wrote a cookbook, Puff Pastry: master the art of puff pastry to easily guide readers on making pastry.

She did have a side hustle baking cakes and studying at a cooking school while still holding a full-time job. 

“I had a senior position at a telecommunication company and I decided that I just had enough.” 

She informed her husband she wanted to enrol in culinary school full time, “and he said to me ‘we were just about to buy you a new car, so choose between the car or school.’ 

Carol’s decision was easy, attending cooking school at the age of 49, she described her experience as “heaven” and having the best. This passion easily shows through her bakes and cookbook.

Carol’s easy tips to avoid a puff pastry flop:

• Try to avoid heat
• Always keep your pastry cold
• Keep your pastry in the fridge when you preheat your oven. (There’s a lot of butter in pastry if it gets exposed to room temperature it melts when it bakes you won’t get the puff in the pastry.)