Daniel’s signature style sets him apart from other chefs
Daniel Khobo is an entrepreneur who feels no heat in the kitchen.
POLOKWANE – Khobo has always been interested in cooking and he was ready and willing to start wherever he could to build up his career in catering. He explained though that he does not identify as a chef, but rather as a cook, because he says he is nowhere near where he would like to be, experience wise. In 2012, he worked at KFC where he got experience working with food and, he said, that the experience just deepened his passion for food.
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“I knew from there that I was in the right field. That was when I applied to study hospitality, and after I completed, I registered a catering and events management company in 2015,” he explained.
He knew however that his qualification was not enough to propel him to the altitude that he wanted to be. He decided that he would take the time to study the business aspect and gain the necessary experience.
“I started cooking for other catering companies, I also at some point cooked for Onicca Moloi’s company among others. In 2016, I decided that I had experience with how things work, and was ready to go solo because working for people had taught me more than I ever could have expected,” he said.
With his experience, he has found innovative ways of making his food stand out. It has given him time to work on his signature style that sets him apart from other cooks. “Catering can be very challenging, especially for big events, like weddings because you are providing food for hundreds of people, with different likes and preferences. You have the challenge of making sure that you find that happy medium and make sure that people leave satisfied with the meal that they have just had,” he said.
One of his passions though is bringing healthy food back to school. He would like to one day supply schools around Polokwane with healthier meal options and drinks. “I want to bring the fun back into healthy meals, by changing the mentality that healthy means that food has to be bland and lack flavour, especially among the younger generation,” he said. His long term plan is to open his own restaurant. When he is not catering at events, he has partnered with Madidi Ledwaba and they run a ‘Buite’kitchen where they specialise in African cuisine. “I also run a tuck shop with my girlfriend where we cater for school children during lunch break,” he said.
