Apr 2021 Ballito Umhl

Chef Themba worked at the five-star
Soho Hotel in London for three years
The first thing Thembinkosi Mngoma learned to cook was a chicken curry. He
was a young boy and his father was his teacher. “I will never forget how he taught
me to cook so that I wouldn’t burn myself,” Themba laughs. “He told me that
when the oil was hot, I should chuck the onions in and then run!”
Now a 40-year-old father of two, Chef Themba has come a long way from his
humble childhood in Umlazi. He has been on a whirlwind journey for the past
20 years that has taken him around the world and back ... and it all started when
he landed a job as a dishwasher in the scullery of a restaurant called El Cubano,
owned by Martin Lombaard.
“Four weeks after I started I was given a small space of my own and taught how
to grill calamari and fry up sides to go with the main courses. I’ll never forget
the day I met well-known restaurateur Marco Nico. He walked into the kitchen
wearing a chef’s uniform and, for the first time, I realised that you could be a chef
and a businessman at the same time. That was the day I started taking my job
seriously,” says Themba. He decided then that he would own his own restaurant
one day.
After working for Martin for a year and a half, it was time for Themba to start
pursing his dream. He applied to the International Hotel School. “When I told
Martin my plan he made a few calls and, before I knew it, the forms had been
faxed and I being interviewed.”
After three years of hotel school and working in hotels and lodges around the
country, Themba set his sights on another big goal – to live and work in London.
“I have always wanted to be the very best chef I can be. The culinary standards
are incredibly high in London and that was where I wanted to further my
learning.”
Three days after arriving in London, Themba applied for a job as a chef at the
five-star Soho Hotel in London. “I had to do a practical interview and cook three
things - risotto, the thinnest ribeye steak I’ve ever seen (medium rare) and a
bearnaise sauce!” Themba got the job as de partie, meaning he had to head up
a station and oversee other chefs. He was later promoted to junior sous chef. It
was an experience he will never forget. “The first six months were really hard. It
was ‘old-school’ and strict and I had to adapt quickly. I think this was where I truly
learnt about responsibility.”
Themba made a commitment to himself to visit and eat in as many Michelin Star
restaurants as he could during his time in the UK. And that’s just want he did. He
travelled to Ireland and Scotland ... and always booked a table for one!
Three years later, Themba returned to South Africa and got a job with his old
boss and mentor Martin, at his restaurant Havana Grill at Suncoast. From there he
moved to Granny Mouse where he met Precious, the woman who would later
become his wife.
Over the years, Themba has pursued various avenues in the culinary world,
including opening his own catering company called King’s Cuisine, where
People want to enjoy
restaurant quality
food in the comfort
of their own home ...
and that’s what I can
do for them.
he did mass-catering for mostly
government events, and helping with
the setting up and opening of various
restaurants.
He spent some time in Franschhoek
where he was head chef at the wellknown
Roca at Dieu Donne Vineyards.
When it was time to settle down
and get married Themba came
back to Durban, working seasonally,
at Martin’s new Little Havana in
Umhlanga. His final role, before the
pandemic hit, was as banqueting sous
chef at the Elangeni Hotel. Forced to
take voluntary retrenchment after
lockdown, Themba used the time to
focus on what he really wanted to do.
“People want to enjoy restaurant
quality food in the comfort of their
own home and that’s what I can do
for them. If you’re wanting an intimate
dinner part for 10 or 20 people, I will
buy all the ingredients and come
in (with a waiter) and cook for you
in your kitchen. I also offer cooking
classes, where I can teach you to
make a variety of dishes, including
your own pasta from scratch, sauces,
seafood, red meat and dessert.”
Asked what sets him apart from
other chefs, Themba says it’s his
eye for detail and the fact that taste
always come first. “Presentation is
very important to me, but flavour
always comes first.” He also pays close
attention to who he is cooking for.
“I made a conscious decision not to
limit myself and have a ‘signature
style’. I love so many types of food,
from Italian and French to Zulu and
Asian flavours. I’m generous with
my portions and I understand my
market. I think it’s really important to
remember who you are cooking for.”
Details: Contact Themba on:
kingscuisinechef@yahoo.com, 076 604
1959, IG: @privatechef_sa
April 2021 Get It • Ballito Umhlanga 35