Deborah is a content marketing specialist, with a passion for the food niche, she writes engaging content that celebrates the joy of food and its power to bring people together. Having worked on different projects. Her curiosity and creativity shines through in her writing.
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Today, we’ve got the amazing Thandolwethu Nkomo, also known as Chef Black! She’s a self-taught private chef and we’re thrilled to have her with us.
AFN:Tell us about yourself!
Chef Black: My name is Thandolwethu Nkomo, popularly known as Chef Black. My first attempt at entering the culinary industry was through a restaurant review blog titled ‘The Restaurant Explorer’.
After realising that my audience prefers interactive content encompassing the food creation process, I rebranded.
I then established my brand, ‘Chef Black’, and I haven’t looked back since. I found my way around the kitchen through passionate trial and error.
As a proudly self-taught private chef, my experiences in various food establishments sparked my aspirations to be a restauranteur and heavily influenced the food I create in my kitchen.
AFN:Why do you cook?
Chef Black: Firstly, I cook because I’m gifted, and it is my purpose to share my creativity with people and feed them some really good food.
I also cook because I enjoy the business side of the food industry. I was born with an entrepreneurial flair, and I’ve been fortunate enough to bring the two worlds together.
AFN:What is your favorite memory in the kitchen?
Chef Black: It must be when I did a restaurant takeover event collaborating with the restaurant, and on the morning of the event, we found out that 90% of their kitchen staff had quit.
I wasn’t meant to cook that evening as I had shared the recipes with the staff- I was in heels and make-up hosting my guests, but I went in that kitchen and cooked like my life depended on it (in heels).
I served three courses to 30 guests who had no idea what I had just pulled off in that kitchen. It was one for the books.
AFN:What is your biggest cooking fail?
Chef Black: I was preparing a 5-course fine dining experience for a couple on Valentine’s Day, and I had food poisoning. That was the worst day on the job.
AFN:What kitchen equipment do you use more and can’t do without?
Chef Black: My knives, wherever I go and cook, I carry them. Blunt knives can really throw you off.
AFN: What are your favorite foods to cook and why?
Chef Black:It must be curries and stews. I love food that is rich in flavour and aroma. My cooking style is also ‘creative but underpinned by the classics’, and there isn’t anything more classic than a curry or stew.
AFN: What would you like to share with our audience?
Chef Black: If you want to set yourself apart, you must let your personality authentically show through all your dishes. Attention to detail is also imperative.
Deborah is a content marketing specialist, with a passion for the food niche, she writes engaging content that celebrates the joy of food and its power to bring people together. Having worked on different projects. Her curiosity and creativity shines through in her writing.
