Danielle dishes out top recipes with book
The easy-to-use recipe book is designed for people of all ages.
WITH her cooking school business coming to an abrupt halt due to the nationwide lockdown, Upper Highway’s talented chef, Danielle du Toit chose to pour her creativity into creating a vibrant and easy-to-follow cook book for people of all ages.
She first worked in the upmarket hospitality industry as the front of house with a hint of kitchen work and, when the plans were in motion to start a family, chose to swap the bushveld for a suburban lifestyle.
“A lot of my friends were starting their own businesses, we had all just started our families and, needing to be fabulous mothers, wives and businesswoman, I thought I would help us along and still put good food on the table. I helped upskill domestic workers to cook for their families as well as newly married women and children,” said du Toit.
With 13 years of experience under her belt and an unbridled passion for food, lockdown hit and, instead of allowing herself to fall into a slump, she chose to channel her energy in a different direction.
“I needed something positive to focus on and I posted a recipe a day to my Facebook page during the first five weeks. The following increased and there was a great response with people trying out the recipes at home. People were saying that I should compile them all and put them into a book so they didn’t need to scroll through to find the ones they were looking for. It has always been a dream of mine,” she said.
With guidance from her friend, Louise McCann, in Cape Town, the recipes were compiled, photos were snapped, the work was edited and proofed and sent off to print.
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du Toit, alongside her husband and two (busy) boys, tested and photographed each one of the recipes in the book.
“Putting it together was such good fun! I’m from a foodie family and every night we sit around the table with a home-cooked meal. I’m all about simplicity: fast, fresh and simple – a no-fuss type of cooking,” she said.
Pheka (Zulu verb for cook) is an A5 book that is filled with day-to-day, go-to recipes. Some are new and a few are old favourites from her previous courses. du Toit’s favourite recipe in the book is for the lemon chicken soup as it reminds her a lot of her travelling days. Her children, on the other hand, said their top pick is the home-made pizzas, with tight competition from the chocolate brownies.
The book can be purchased online at www.pheka.co.za. It is also available from the Veggie Shop at the Mushroom Farm, at Founder Foods, Unison Store and at Flanders Mall in Mount Edgecombe. The registered retail price is R160 (excluding courier). There is also an ebook version that can be purchased through the website. Follow Danielle on Instagram @phekafood or on Facebook at Pheka Durban
WIN! The Highway Mail has one copy of the book to give away to a lucky reader. Entries close on Friday, 2 October at midnight. The prize is not transferable for cash. The book must be collected from the Highway Mail offices at 115 Escom Road in New Germany. All Covid-19 safety protocols are in place.
Sorry, this competition is now closed.
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