Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Going with the golden flow
Hosting informal whisky tasting sessions at the Table Bay Hotel reflect Zani Mangesi’s passion for his work, writes Nathan Adams
WHEN Zanemvula “Zani” Mangesi was a little boy, he used to run around at the V&A Waterfront and only dreamt of one day walking into the Table Bay Hotel.
Today, at 28, he is food and beverage supervisor at the hotel, and in charge of the waiters and bar staff at the hotel’s Camissa Brasserie.
Mangesi, from Khayelitsha, said his mother, who was a domestic worker, would take him to the Waterfront during school holidays and when he saw the hotel, he would think: “The Table Bay (Hotel) was a palace only kings stepped into.”
“Today, when I come to work, I feel like a king,” said Mangesi.
After completing Grade 12 at Masiyile High School in Khayelitsha, he was accepted into the ProServ learnership for food and beverages. A year-and-a-half later, he began working at the Cape Grace as a barman – and it was there that his love affair with whisky started.
“Candice Baker at the Cape Grace was my mentor and she would do whisky tastings, and it was then that I fell in love with whisky,” he said.
He was a barman for five years, but while he was working, he made the most of his time and studied marketing through Damelin, as well as doing an in-house whisky masterclass.
“There were different levels of the masterclass and after completing each one, it just made me more keen. It was like watching a series and as each ended, you just wanted to know what’s next.”
He joined the Table Bay in April 2016 and less than a year later, was appointed as food and beverage supervisor, in part because of his passion for his work.
“If a guest is interested in whisky, then I will host an informal whiskey tasting,” said Mangesi. “What sets whisky apart from the other spirits is there’s a sentimental quality to it, and it is really a journey of discovery for the palate.”
His eyes light up as he recounts how he first he enjoyed whisky that was fruity, nutty and which had a butterscotch tasting note. But these days, he likes a stronger peat whisky.
“Peat is that smoky taste in the whisky that comes from drying the malt,” he said.
He said if you really wanted to smell the peat in a whisky, put a few drops in the palm of your hand and rub your hands together, and you’d be able to smell its pungent, smoky aroma.
Much of Mangesi’s whisky knowledge is self-taught and he says it’s one of his dreams to travel Scotland and experience first-hand how his favourite drink is made. “One day I might get there. But even if I don’t, I’d also like to become a whisky ambassador.
“If one day I could make my own whisky, it would have some spiciness, vanilla and butterscotch, with a strong peat to finish and stay on the palate.”