Woolworths_Taste__January_2019

PHOTOGRAPH

JAN RAS

INTERVIEW

KATHARINE POPE
When I was growing
up,mygrannyandmy
mom were the cooks.
I still say that my granny is the best cook
in the world. She made these crazy
chicken livers – with a lot of chilli – spicy
and so moreish. I’m blessed to have
eaten in one- and two-star restaurants
in America and London, but my granny’s
overcooked veggies are still the best.

My Silwood lecturers always said

I had potential, but I liked partying

and girls too much.As soon as I got

a Friday off – party, party! They used

to make me work extra shifts just to

prevent me from having off days. When

I graduated, I got a small certificate –

I was a bit cheesed off because other

people won KitchenAids and Le Creuset

prizes – and I got this certificate. But the

certificate said “most likely to succeed

in industry”.

PJ Vadas [of Vadas Smokehouse

&Bakery]hasalwayshadmy

back.He’s my mentor. I worked at The

Roundhouse with him and he’s the

reason I went overseas. These guys from

Vermont called me on a Sunday – I was

hungover – they asked me if I knew

where Vermont was and I said no. It’s in

the middle of nowhere; there’s no Uber;

no public transport. The nearest barber

shop was over an hour away. I did a lot

of skiing. Black man on the slopes – it was

quite a sight. And while I was there,

I travelled to New York, Miami, Chicago.

I had a deep-dish pizza and went to

Alinea. Eleven Madison Park blew my

mind – I cried. Once because of the apple

snow course with maple taffy, and

the second time when the bill came.

WhenIcamebackfromtheUSA,

IworkedatTheSaxonHotelin

Joburgforayear.But it was hotel

food – which is great, but I wanted

to change the world.

ImetChefLukeDaleRobertsinthe

fridge at The Saxon.He told me to

email him. He gave me the opportunity

to open The Pop Luck Club in Joburg. It

was an amazing seven months. After it

closed. Luke said to me, “I worked with

you back in the day while you were still

naughty, but now you’ve proven yourself,

OriginallyIwantedtobeadentist.

But I took a gap year after school.

I worked as a waiter in restaurants

in the UK and I saw what a good meal

can do. Then it became two gap years.

Then I wanted to study cheffing.

My mate told me that Cape Town

has a dope food scene, and that Silwood

is the best college. And then I ended

up studying there.

KatlegoMlambo

TABLE TALK

38 TASTE JAN/FEB 2019

BUBBLING UNDER

Katlego Mlambo

He had his own TV show at the age of 25, but this young gun is determined to earn his stripes in restaurant

kitchens, too. We caught up with the senior sous chef at hip new Cape Town spot The Commissary