Italian flair the African way
Chef B's Kitchen was a young graduate's response to the high unemployment rate.
POLOKWANE – Hinteko Praise Baloyi can be seen on Railway Street in Ladanna in his chef’s jacket, ready to feed passersby.
The 25-year-old chef explained that his passion for cooking comes from his mother who he used to help in the kitchen as a young boy. “I used to cook with my mother and after I graduated from university, I decided to start this business to keep myself busy,” he explained.
Baloyi is an information technology (IT) graduate who saw the opportunity during the lockdown to put food on others’ tables.
“It has not been easy because cooking for myself and cooking for others is different. I have been taking note of the constructive criticism and made improvements to my dishes,” he said.
Despite having started the business to bridge the gap, he does not see himself doing anything else because of the love that he has developed for cooking.
“In the next five years I plan to have a restaurant and create employment. I do not want people to be like me and struggle,” he added.
His dishes are famous for Italian herbs that are prepared the African way.
“I use Italian herbs and avoid salt because I cater for various age groups. I maintain the African style of preparing it, it just has an element of surprise in the taste,” he added.
He shared that he often finds that people have the perception that his food is expensive because of the presentation.
He is dressed neatly in his chef’s jacket and the space that he operates from looks professional with chafing dishes, despite being at the roadside.
“Do not judge a book by its cover. My food is priced according to the quality thereof,” he added.
When he is not cooking, he can be found behind the decks as a DJ.
Chef B’s Kitchen is open from Monday to Saturday. Check out his work on social media at Hinteko B on Instagram and Chef B’s Kitchen on Twitter.
