Flavours of fortune come to Hambanathi restaurateurs

When opportunity came knocking for the owners of the small Emafini restaurant and take-away in Hambanathi, Mthombisi and Nozipho Khumalo seized it with both hands.

From selling hot dogs and fried chips in a small tent on the street of their home in the Tongaat township, the Khumalo’s delicious meals are now attracting customers from as far as Umdloti, Verulam and Ballito.

When the Courier visited the power couple on Sunday they were busy with a big order from one of their regular customers, who was hosting a birthday party in Pinetown.

Their 7 staff members were busy preparing platters while their 2 delivery guys were running in and out of the house delivering food to clients around Tongaat.

Inside the kitchen the phone rings non-stop as Nozipho scurries to fill the long list of orders, but still jokes and laughter are plentiful; presumably the secret to good cooking.

Khumalo said for years they had been trying to open small restaurants in their township but could not cope with rent and other overheads.

“Things took a positive turn when my wife decided to quit her job 5 years ago and focus on our business. We formally launched the restaurant in 2019 and she had to give up her kitchen so that we could use it for the restaurant. The response was overwhelming,” said Khumalo.

He said they were pleasantly surprised to get calls from people who had never tasted their food and hired them to cater for funerals, weddings, birthday parties and meetings.

“I believe being consistent with the level of service we provide, helped us to get a good word from our clients and the reviews people leave on our Facebook page help a lot.”

The two met while they were working for different companies at the King Shaka International Airport in 2011. They now have two daughters.

“We tried different businesses but my wife had always been passionate about cooking and I am happy that I was also able to join her.”

While they spend most of their time behind the stove, Khumalo takes time off to play his guitar and piano, while Nozipho watches Netflix to relax – if she’s not busy with online cooking classes that is.

They hope to open more branches one day but for now, they are firmly rooted in Hambanathi.