It sounds almost like a movie, but after quitting an unsatisfying job as an intern auditor, Mogau Seshoene started pursuing her passion for cooking. Now she’s flying high as The Lazy Makoti, and has just released her own cookbook. Grethe Kemp asks her about being a 'lazy' cook, the influence of Instagram and the value of traditional food.
The Lazy Makoti’s Guide to the Kitchen
Mogau Seshoene
Quivertree Publications
R269 at bookstores nationwide
I first met Polokwane-born 30-year-old chef Mogau Seshoene at a foodie event in Maboneng this year. She had started her day at the crack of dawn doing her cooking slot on e.tv’s The Morning Show and that evening she was talking about entrepreneurship at the University of Johannesburg.
Every day is a busy day for Mogau and it’s not going to die down soon, especially since she’s just released her own cookbook.
Beautifully photographed and put together, it’s a compilation of recipes that are comforting, aesthetically pleasing and, most importantly for her, it shows off traditional cooking. A section in the book – called Khumbul’ekhaya (come home) – features proudly South African traditional meals, just how Gogo used to make them. I caught up with Mogau to ask her more.
Hi Mogau, so tell us, how did you become The Lazy Makoti?
My journey began while I was working in a corporate setting, a friend of mine was getting married and knew that one of the expectations of her new family would be that she knew how to cook – and specifically traditional South African food. After trying with no luck to find a cooking school of some sort to take lessons on South African cuisine, she asked if I could teach her. I always had a great love for cooking. I gave her a few lessons after which she started to recommend my services to friends and family. And it literally snowballed from there. I left the corporate world and went to culinary school. I trained at the Saxon Hotel and started doing classes regularly. Fast forward to this year and I have just released my first cookbook, The Lazy Makoti’s Guide to the Kitchen.
Tell us about your moniker – why The Lazy Makoti?
When I started giving the cooking lessons, my friend would lament about how she’s nervous that her in-laws would call her “the lazy Makoti” because she couldn’t cook. I thought it was funny and relatable. This balanced between modern and traditional.
What is your style of cooking?
Simple cooking that is just as delicious and beautiful without being intimidating; with a great emphasis on celebrating the South African narrative.
How has Instagram influenced the stuff you make?
I love to make food that is just as pretty as it is delicious. Of course, that has meant more careful consideration when it comes to plating, more thought about colours and textures on a plate. It’s also influenced how frequently I buy crockery. My cupboards are overflowing. I am obsessed with great-looking plates!
What goes into creating a cookbook? How long does it take?
I guess I had been putting it together since I started giving the classes. It’s mostly a compilation of recipes that I know everyone wants to know, based on the countless messages I get on Twitter, Facebook and by email. After putting them together it took a few months to test, edit and shoot.
Dorah Sithole does the foreword in your book, giving it high praise. What does it mean to you to get the thumbs up from her?
It means everything to me. I have loved Mama Dorah since I was a little girl, cutting her recipes out of a magazine. It was a dream come true to finally meet and work with her years later.
What does it mean to you, being a successful black woman with her own cooking business and now a book?
I feel honoured to have been able to have a cookbook and such an incredible response. It’s never lost on me, just how lucky I am, to get to earn a living doing what I love. I hope this inspires young women to see what’s possible, with hard work and faith.
Any favourite recipes from the book?
Definitely the Khumbul’ekhaya chapter. It brought me so much joy and pride to see our food celebrated by us the way it should. (Mogau has allowed us to share two recipes from that section.)
What do you want people to walk away with after cooking from your book?
I wanted people to see and feel how easy it can be to create easy, delicious meals with very simple ingredients, many of which are already in their fridges and pantries. I also want more South Africans to appreciate and fall in love with the food of our heritage. This book is a celebration of that heritage.
What can we expect in the future … maybe a TV show?
That is definitely on my to do list – that and the rest of the continent.