Siba is one of the food goddesses
WHEN is it that you know you are a leading voice in the food industry? It’s when the difficult-to-impress food world can’t get enough of you.
And that’s the case with South African chef, award-winning cookbook author and TV personality, Siba Mtongana.
The chef, who made her name globally with her popular
Food Network shows Siba’s Table, Sibalicious and Cooking with Siba, has been named by Tatler Malaysia as one of the 7 Food Goddesses in the World, in a list that includes other cooking goddesses like Nigella Lawson, Mexico’s Pati Jinich, India’s Amrita Raichand and the US’S Rachael Ray.
Tatler Malaysia described their cooking goddesses as people who help us conjure satisfied smiles and happy tummies, thanks to their guidance in the kitchen.
“These goddesses make cooking look like a stroll in the park.”
Describing why Siba was included in the list, Tatler wrote: “With five US Film and Television Awards and the prestigious Ubuntu Awards under her belt, Siba has taken the cooking world by storm since her eponymous cooking show Siba’s Table debuted in 2013.
A charming smile and highly approachable presence, not unlike your favourite primary school teacher, seem to be the recipe for her ‘Sibalicious’ success.”
Siba said it was a lovely surprise to once again be recognised alongside her food hero, Nigella Lawson.
“I am also thrilled and blessed considering how influential and big Tatler is, not only in Malaysia but in the whole of the Asia Pacific Region.”
In 2017, Siba’s cookbook, My Table, won two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in China.
She was also recognised as the first-ever South African to win the Special Award of the Jury, thanks to the legacy her book leaves and impact it had in SA.
It takes a lot for a chef to be regarded as a big deal, especially in a competitive and foodie-centric region like the Asia Pacific.
Over the years, Siba has built her reputation as a dependable chef, thanks to her award-winning cookbooks and TV shows that have made her a global food star.
Siba, who cooked at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration in 2019, has been one of the chefs who during the lockdown took to social media with gusto, cooking up a storm and inspiring her fans to try out new recipes.
She also did a number of online masterclasses with various brands.
She said the past months following the lockdown had been one of the most challenging but also most rewarding times ever.
“We had to adapt quickly with new strategies to inspire fans and foodies locally and across the globe, despite the bleak outlook.”
She believes that Covid-19 enabled her and her team to venture well beyond the norm with innovative solutions despite
strict protocols associated with the pandemic. “It has been a tough year for most in the food industry. But we can and must use these experiences as a springboard to exciting new opportunities.”
Over the years, Siba has shared her recipes with us and they are always a must-try with out readers.
Here’s one of our favourites, one we are sure that even “my husband, Brian” will enjoy.