‘I just want to share my food with the world’

Moving from the boardroom to the kitchen, Liziwe Matloha has pursued her passion for food in more ways than one.

A flavourful launch on 29 April in Rivonia introduced the chef’s first cookbook – Dinner at Matloha’s.

A proud restaurant owner and private chef, Matloha’s love for food started at a young age. “A few years ago I left my corporate job to follow my cooking dream. I wanted to upskill and so I went to culinary school. Soon after graduating, I set up a Facebook page advertising cooking lessons. Seven years later, here I am launching my very own cookbook in Sandton.”

Inspired by food from her own dinner table, Matloha loves developing recipes and feeding her family. Describing her feat as one of a kind, she mentioned that the cookbook has everything from breakfast dishes to heritage plates.

“I worked on this for seven years, people would always ask me for recipes and I loved sharing them. I actually have recipes piling up and so I thought it can reach so many more people through a book! I started compiling it slowly, all inspired by the food I cook for my family – tried and tested recipes. My family and cooking classes made this dream a reality,” she said.

A chef, mother and wife, she loves every single recipe, but she did mention that her husband’s oxtail and her pickled carrot salad are definite must-haves. “I mastered that salad when I was about 13 or 14 years and old and I never ever thought it would be in my very own cookbook. It has such beautiful chapters and an amazing story too.”

Cooking up plans, Matloha is working on her own cooking show and would like to set up a formal restaurant in the future. “I want people to eat from my kitchen, I just want to share my food with the world.”