Soweto-born chef, champagne creator, cacao pioneer - Chef Wandile Mabaso is a South African culinary inspiration

On this week’s What’s the Difference episode, hosts Sibongile Mafu and Steve Steinfeld take a journey through Chef Wandile Mabaso’s career. From ‘playing’ with food at home in Soweto to sweating it out in New York’s toughest Michelin-starred kitchens, he’s back in South Africa and quietly building his own empire. As the chef-owner of Les Creatif in Johannesburg, he’s doing more than changing the menu. He’s reshaping kitchen culture, mentoring young chefs, and creating space for more diversity in fine dining. He also shares: The unique experience of creating his own champagne brand in Champagne, France. His cacao project that brings a deeper connection to chocolate-making and storytelling through food How he mastered French techniques in order to celebrate African flavours Plus, Woolworths senior development chef, Sharon Mbonambi, talks about the challenges of introducing South African dishes to the Woolies market. From amagwinya to idombolo, she’s blazing a trail to make heritage foods available nationwide.  New episodes on Wednesdays Brought to you by Woolworths Produced by POP24 Shop the Snack & Yap products: https://www.woolworths.co.za/cat/_/N-o3pw8w?Exact=true Our legal team wants you to read this disclaimer: ⁠https://bit.ly/4s4MKux Les Créatifs Restaurant: https://lescreatifs.co.za/ Chef Wandile Mabaso: https://www.instagram.com/chef_wandilemabaso/?hl=en