Lindile Ndzaba is a young man I admire tremendously. He has built a wine brand with nothing but an idea and his drive to do something extraordinary in his community. Khayelitsha's Finest Wines started as a project to bring decent wine to his neighbours 'elokshini', in the sprawling township of Khayelitsha outside Cape Town. Working in the city, exposed to fine wines in his role as a front-of-house staff member, he was frustrated by the shoddy wines on offer in the taverns and eateries around his home.
Working in his spare time he learned about wine and started seeking out unique and interesting wines he could bottle under the KFW label. It's been a long and hard journey, juggling his dream with a full time hospitality position in Cape Town, but it really took off when he was able to resign and focus full time on KFW in 2021.
He's just returned from a trip to the USA where he was promoting KFW and I managed to sit him down for a chat about the road he's walked.

Khayelitsha's Finest Wines
Thumbnail portrait by Brandon de Kock

• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited

I initially reached out to Tania Olivier of ATE Eatery when she posted online about working on a cookbook. I've been wanting to talk about cookbooks on the show for a while. Turns out her publishing project is another thing entirely, but we started talking about South African food and how she cooks her experiences of being South African for guests in her home. Tania is fascinating and such an enthusiastic and patriotic cook that this episode could have gone on for hours. Some interesting perspectives on welcoming people into your home and serving them food derived from your own life experiences.
Follow Tania on Instagram here.

• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited

There are such wildly conflicting views about salt, and the seasoning of food. Depending on where you look or who you ask, salt is either beneficial for your health or an ogre to banish from the table. Years ago I read a fascinating book on salt, and it's role in human history, by Mark Kurlansky, so I'm a bit of a salt geek. I found another one, Samantha Skyring, who owns Oryx Salt and we sat down for a natter about this seasoning element and what it brings to the table.

• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited