They laughed at her because she was studying cooking; they teased her. Today, Nokx Majozi brings the flavors of South Africa to British tables, earning accolades, recognition, and a revolutionary approach to gastronomy.
For a long time, in the community where she grew up, choosing a culinary school seemed almost like a contradiction. Today, Nokx Majozi has written a book dedicated to South African cuisine, cooks in London’s most prestigious restaurants, and is on a specific mission: to convince the United Kingdom that South Africa has much more to offer than just its wines. Her story spans continents, but it begins with a question that, years ago, was asked of her with disbelief: why study to learn how to cook?
When Studying Cooking Seemed Like Madness
In Durban, where she was born and raised, cooking was a skill that was naturally passed down from one generation to the next. Recipes were learned by watching mothers, grandmothers, and relatives, which is why the idea of spending three years at a culinary school seemed incomprehensible. “They told me, ‘That can’t be a real course of study.’ To my community, I was almost a joke. They thought that if I needed to go to school to learn how to cook, it meant my parents hadn’t taught me enough,” she recently told The Independent. She made that decision anyway, however. It was a choice that would completely change her future.
From the Home Kitchen to Major International Culinary Teams
Her first love for cooking began long before school, within the walls of her home. Her mother prepared traditional dishes, while her father loved to experiment, drawing inspiration from the ingredients and cultural influences he encountered while working at the port of Durban. Among her most vivid memories are her mother’s gnocchi and her father’s fish curry, but above all, the time she spent by his side. “While I was helping him chop ingredients, I realized you could take something simple and turn it into something special. That’s when I fell in love with cooking.” she tells The Independent. After graduating, she landed her first job at a hotel in Durban, then came the unexpected turning point: Disney selected her to cook South African dishes at a resort in Florida. That move also changed the perspective of the community that had initially criticized her choice. “Only then did everyone realize that cooking could become a profession and even take you to the other side of the world. In my community, no one had ever had an experience like that.”
London and the Dream That Became a Book
Majozi has been living in the United Kingdom since the early 2000s. There, she has worked in the kitchens of the InterContinental London and the Rosewood London, and more recently joined the Fallow team as chef-in-residence. In the meantime, she’s appeared on television, been recognized as one of the emerging talents identified by critic Jay Rayner, and finally realized the project she’d been pursuing for years: her first cookbook. *The South African Cook Book* tells the story of the country through its cuisine, traveling from Cape Town to Durban and exploring vastly different cultures, traditions, and regions. “I’ve always thought my story should start at home. I want to take people to the places I come from and, at the same time, encourage young South African chefs. Sometimes the beginning is difficult, but it doesn’t determine how far you can go.”
A Cuisine That Speaks Many Languages
According to Majozi, one of the biggest misconceptions about South African cuisine concerns its very identity. Many imagine it as a homogeneous cuisine, whereas it actually stems from the convergence of different cultures. It was only through traveling, she explains, that she came to understand just how profound those cultural influences were. That is why the book does not focus on a single tradition, but spans different provinces and communities, showcasing a cuisine in constant dialogue with its own history.
“I’d like the world to discover our food, too”
There’s also a broader goal behind the book. Her wish is simple: to pique the curiosity of those who’ve never tasted this cuisine and offer a key to understanding its cultural richness. “I’d like people to try making something they’ve never cooked before. Through these recipes, they can get to know our country better, understand how flavors vary from one province to another, and discover a part of South Africa that often takes a back seat.” » For Nokx Majozi, the book’s success won’t be measured solely by the number of copies sold. The greatest satisfaction will come the day someone, while opening a pot or slicing a mango, feels as though they’ve traveled all the way to Durban without ever leaving their own kitchen.
