Meet the DRUM Food Ambassador
She’s been a keen cook since childhood, but it was only later in her life that Liziwe Matloha decided to turn her passion for food into a career. And her determination, cooking skills and love for food saw her winning the first DRUM Food Ambassador competition
THE moment you step into the dining room of her beautiful, newly renovated house in a quite suburb of Boksburg, you can tell it’s the home of a chef. The smell of oatmeal, which she cooked for herself that morning, fills the air. Liziwe Matloha is modest about her beautiful home. “There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done,” she says. “I’m hoping I’ll have the whole house looking great by the end of the year.”
This renovation project isn’t the biggest change to her life in 2019. The wife and mother of three won the DRUM Food Ambassador competition in association with SA Pork earlier this year, earning her a year-long contract to work with the DRUM food team to develop recipes to be featured in the magazine and online.
As the owner of Dinner at Matloha’s, a private restaurant in Boksburg where she also hosts cooking classes, Liziwe knows her way around the kitchen, and the skills she learnt at her restaurant and cooking school, helped her come out on top during the competition. However, being a chef wasn’t her first career choice and it was only later in her life that she decided to turn her love of cooking into her 9-to-5. B
ORN and bred in Boskop, a rural area in Potchefstroom, North West, cooking came naturally to Liziwe. She doesn’t recall when her interest was sparked, but she’s felt at home in the kitchen from a young age. “When it comes to cooking, I was in my own zone. It was my time to relax,” she says. “From the age of 13 I had responsibilities, which included cooking for my whole family,” she recalls. She’d prepare a sevencolours feast [a meal that includes meat, several types of veg and rice] for her family every Sunday after church.
Whenever she ate a new, unfamiliar dish, she’d try to copy it at home. “My family and I would go to weddings and funerals and with every new meal I tried, I’d go home and try to recreate it with little knowledge of what ingredients to use, but my recreations would taste even better,” she says.
Over the years, her passion for food continued to grow, but she never thought she could make a career out of it. After she matriculated, she was unsure about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. “So, I took a course in human resources,” she says. She didn’t enjoy it at all, but was determined to complete it, nonetheless. Then she did a media course and worked in marketing and advertising.
She found the work fulfilling, but still felt there was something missing. “I absolutely loved what I was doing, but I loved cooking so much more and my heart and soul told me I had to go for what I want,” she says. “I went to work one morning and resigned. My manager was concerned because it was such a rash decision, but I knew that it was what I needed to do,” she adds.
When she broke the news to her husband, MotlatŜo, he was shocked but supported her decision.
Shortly afterwards she started a catering business but realised that it wasn’t the direction she wanted to take for the rest of her life. That’s when she came up with the idea of Dinner at Matloha’s. But before she would implement the idea she wanted to upskill herself.
She told her family she wanted to attend a culinary school. “I remember how they
laughed and asked me why I wanted to do that if I already knew how to cook. But I was driven to do this, because I wanted the knowledge and skills of the culinary world,” she says. “I wanted to be able to stand in front of people and have credibility”.
She attended and graduated from Capsicum Culinary School in Boksburg in 2016. “One thing that I love about myself is that I’m very determined. When I have a goal, I go for it. My course was full time, and my classmates were very young, but I didn’t let that intimidate me. After I graduated, I did some training at hotels, restaurants and catering companies.”
In 2017, she started hosting cooking classes at Dinner at Matloha’s with four students attending a six-week course. “At the end of it all, it was a success. The class grew to 20 people and I still pinch myself at how I was able to do that. It was something I didn’t imagine would happen,” she adds.
Her love for food has also trickled down to her three kids – Sihle (15), Kenzou (8) and Alijah (3). “My love for them knows no end. They’re such amazing humans and I’m truly blessed to have them in my life,” she says. “Alijah is the princess of our home. Sihle is the sweetest and kindest boy I’ve ever met and Kenzou is a ball of energy who lights up every room he walks in.
“They always help in the kitchen. I know eventually they won’t even need me to tell them how to prepare meals,” she laughs.
When it comes to cooking for her family, Liziwe prefers simple, healthy meals, and she’s mastered the art of what she calls “one-pot wonders”. “These are dishes made in one pot which means you don’t have to slave in the kitchen. It also doesn’t require many ingredients – healthy, tasty and filling food will do the job. I’m all about easy cooking,” she says.
MotlatŜo is also a good cook and she loves that he prepares meals that make her feel nostalgic. “He’s so great at cooking food that makes me feel like I’m a kid again. Pap and stew were my absolute favourites when I was younger.”
WHEN it came to entering the DRUM Food Ambassador competition, Liziwe says that it wasn’t a planned move. “I was sitting with my niece one afternoon when I saw the advertisement for the competition on television, and I told her I was going to enter,” she says.
She immediately got up from the couch, realised she didn’t have any pork in her freezer and went to her local butchery to buy some. “The following day the pork dish was prepared, and I put my entry through.
Even after I entered I didn’t overthink,” she says. But when she was informed that people had to vote for her to advance in the competition, she quickly sprang into action. “I went out and told people to vote for me, told them to spread the word, and even when they said I was in the lead I still told them to continue voting,” she says. Her efforts weren’t in vain as she ended up being the audience favourite, bagging more than 20 000 votes.
On the day of the cookoff, where the 12 finalists had to show off their skills at Capsicum Culinary School in Rosebank, Johannesburg, Liziwe’s desire to win was strong, but she was also determined to have fun doing what she loved. “I was relaxed throughout the competition. I told myself that this is what I truly enjoy doing, so I didn’t want to get too anxious and end up not living up to my full potential.
“Winning was a burning desire, but I also felt so much gratitude that I’d made it so far in the competition that being a runner-up wouldn’t have been all that bad, because there were so many talented cooks there,” she adds.
In the end, her recipes impressed the judges and she was crowned the winner. Since her win, she’s found her new role truly fulfilling. “I’m extremely happy that I’m able to do this. DRUM has such a great following and it’s given me the platform to share what I love with the world,” she says.
IN ADDITION to being the DRUM Food Ambassador, Liziwe has big plans for the future. She’d like to publish a recipe book. “I’ve always wanted a recipe book,” she adds. “I know publishing a book isn’t an overnight thing and it will take a lot of work and time away from my family, but with all that I have accomplished I know it’s possible.
“A few years ago, I thought quitting my corporate job to pursue a career in cooking wouldn’t get me to where I am now, but here we are! So, I know that there’s so much I’ll still achieve,” she says as she claps her hands for emphasis.
She also wants to establish an accredited culinary school. “I really want people who come to my cooking class to leave with a qualification so that they can be exposed to even more opportunities.” ■