Former MasterChef SA contestant Tebogo Mabye to take Design Week SA patrons on Asian culinary trip

Former MasterChef SA contestant chef Tebogo Mabye will be involved in the inaugural Design Week South Africa, promising to take patrons’ taste buds to Asia on the first night of the Joburg leg.

“My involvement is only going to be dinner tonight. For tonight we’re going to go Asian,” Mabye told The Citizen.

Design Week SA showcases the future of South African design through knowledge-sharing, inclusivity and support.

It will take place around Johannesburg from 10 to 13 October before heading down to Cape Town from 24 to 27 October.

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Cuisine and design

Thursday night will see a ticketed dinner that Mabye is in charge of at 44 Stanley’s Bean There.

“It’s been so exciting to work with up-and-coming designers, brands and of course chefs for this inaugural year,” Design Week SA founder Margot Molyneux told The Citizen.

“Tebogo took up the challenge and joined the other pioneering brands who are showcasing their talents and creativity at Design Week South Africa.”

Part of the dinner will include a book presentation on I Love You I Hate You by Bradley Kirshenbaum of Love Jozi and an interactive open studio by internationally-renowned architects dhk.

Mabye was part season five of MasterChef SA before being the 11th chef eliminated. He said he learnt a lot from being on the reality TV show.

“I gained so much insight and just seeing so many other amazing chefs, was amazing.”

The 29-year-old said he has an appreciation for design and aesthetics, which he incorporates into his food.

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A post shared by Tebogo Mabye (@tebogo_mabye)

“I’m definitely into design. Even the dinner that we’ve planned is around design. What I’ll be wearing today, just how we’ve styled the food and all of that… design and aesthetics really play a lot in my cuisine and in general,” said Mabye.

Molyneux said the purpose of the dinner is to offer guests a pop-up dinner to experience Mabye’s talents, as well as to show off Bean There, which is “usually a day-time spot, in a different light”.

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Design Week SA

Soweto-based Soulart Foundation will launch its free, two-day sustainable art and design workshop, while culinary design studio Borwa will showcase an exhibition and culinary experience at Victoria Yards.

The non-profit organisation and catalyst of change, Jozi My Jozi, will conduct the Urban Renewal minibus tour on Friday.

Guided by Jozi My Jozi member and inner-city management company, LocalAbode founder, Stephen Du Preez, the tour will start in the east of the city at the Ellis Park precinct, moving through to Ghandi Square and the Nelson Mandela Bridge and surrounds, to showcase some of the incredible inner-city renewal and revival projects it is spearheading with leading corporates, organisations and a public-private partnership with the City of Joburg.

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Inspired work

Molyneux said seeing organisations such as Jozi My Jozi has been so inspiring. “Bringing good news and positivity into our communities is invaluable, and the work they’re doing fulfills both of those things.”

With Design Week SA being hosted in two different cities, Molyneux said the two cities’ calendars are fairly different.

“Which is exciting to see. The people and brands are different and the landscape is different, leading to some exciting things,” she said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to now only feel proudly South African, but proud of the city we live in too.”

Through Design Week SA, the founder said she wants to create a genuine appreciation and awareness of local designers and brands.

“Allowing people to be creative, and to witness that creativity, is inspiring and influential. We want to build a community who chooses local, because it’s better, because it’s ours and because it ultimately benefits our creative economy positively,” said Molyneux.

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