Young Mbombela cook aspires to be a philanthropic chef

A 21-year-old aspiring philanthropist chef, Thobeka Madhlopha, aims to uplift her community by giving back and to develop skills through her culinary prowess.

Madhlopha said her dream is to travel to the USA or Dubai to advance her skills as a chef to create experimental cuisine that South Africans will love, which she believes would make her unique.

“I feel that most local chefs are doing the same thing and cooking the same dishes, which many consumers love. I want to be different and offer a variety of cuisine that can be enjoyed by locals and internationals. By travelling overseas, I will gain more experience so that I can create jobs in my community,” she said.

“The goal is to be a philanthropist using my passion as a foodie, because cooking is an act of love.”

The bubbly and gorgeous creative, who is also an events MC, a multimedia personality and model, started cooking when she was in Grade Four. She grew up in Mgobodzi in Nkomazi and was one of 16 grandchildren who lived with their grandmother.

“Most of my cousins were girls, and we used to take turns to cook and do other household chores. I mostly enjoyed the cooking and did so in an open fire to handle food enough for nearly 20 people. My interest and passion for cooking grew from there and from watching cooking shows on TV. I advanced my skills at a culinary school in Mbombela and recently graduated as a qualified culinary chef.”

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She ventured into MCing when she was in Grade 10, after moving to Pienaar to stay with her parents.

“We were still a big family and there were not a lot of opportunities to ask for money from my parents, and that pushed me to look for avenues to earn my own income. What inspired me to be an events MC was when I attended a fashion show in Matsulu.”

Madhlopha said she has taken a break from modelling to concentrate on her dreams of becoming an internationally acclaimed chef. She is the former Miss Ehlatsini Park 2021 and Miss KaBokweni 2021, and became a finalist for Empress South Africa in 2020.

“Some of the experiences I had during pageant competitions were unpleasant. I ended up not being able to live up to my truth as a young woman while encouraging my peers to live their truth.”

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She said other than taking the heat in the kitchen to create exquisite dishes, she aims to be one of the greatest multimedia sensations to come out of Mpumalanga.