22-year-old builds a buffet culture in Tembisa

We have seen a food craze take Tembisa township by storm where suddenly young people express themselves through cooking.

The interest in becoming a chef eKasi has seen a number of food markets spring up here and there to give a platform to entrepreneurs in the food business.

Khumbulani Mdhluli has also been bitten by the bug of serving good food to Kasi residents and established what he calls Kasi buffet, named Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet.

Mdhluli hosted his first event in 2017 and it gradually gained popularity among young people in Tembisa. He defined buffet as food stations where guests can serve themselves in a public area.

Asked what inspired the inception of Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet, Mdhluli said when he was 12 years old he went with his family to a buffet in town.

“I loved the food and I was very excited about the beautiful food display. I developed an interest in cooking and wished I can host my own Kasi buffet one day. In 2017 when I staged my first buffet event the response was very positive. Even though many did not understand the concept, a lot of patrons begged me to do a follow-up and organise more buffets eKasi,” Mdhluli explained.

The 22-year-old entrepreneur hasn’t looked back, he enjoys the gradual growth of Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet.

Mdhluli said initially he had a fear of catering for a large number of guest, but experience has taught him confidence and he can now handle any number of guests.

He said a food business comes with its own challenges, but he is grateful for the love he is shown by Tembisa residents who attend his Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet events.

His last event was on December 2, which he humbly says was a huge success and thanked his team for their dedication in pulling off such a beautiful event despite the wet weather.

“I want to thank my friends and business partners for being there since day one. This year we are coming back with a bang. In the future we want to see Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet raise funds to help needy people and also create employment to sustain poor families,” said Mdhluli.

He said his dream is to see his events taking turns in different small locations to make Tembisa a vibrant place that can attract visitors from afar.

Mdhluli appealed to potential sponsors to help Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet to procure healthy food at an affordable price.

“We’re also appealing to security companies to sponsor us through their security services to make our events safe. We want budding entrepreneurs to take part and showcase their brands at these events in designated stalls. Young people must go out there and discover their passions and monetise that,” Mdhluli advised.

Food Lover’s Kitchen Buffet will host their next event on March 30 and entrepreneurs who are interested in showcasing their local brands can contact Mdhluli on 083 873 0604.