YOU do not need a degree or formal education to become a chef, it takes passion and heart and at the end of the day, your food speaks for itself. These are the sage words of Isipingo chef, Annalize Pillai, who despite all the odds stacked against her, achieved culinary success with her recipes.

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Pillai credited her late father Ronald and her mother Sharma Pillai, for supporting her dream when she started off with next to nothing, and her husband, Zee Ali.

She started her journey at the Ebenezer Assemblies of God church, where her dad gave her the opportunity to use the kitchen to start a business.

“I started off at the church kitchen. I did not even have a vehicle at the time and my dad would wake up early in the mornings to take me around to buy stock. I owe everything to my parents,” said Pillai.

Despite almost crippling setbacks, including the July 2021 unrest and the Covid-19 lockdown, Pillai has come out as a force to be reckoned with in Isipingo’s culinary world.

She explained that cooking has always been her passion. She first ventured into the kitchen when she was 10.

Signature culinary creations

“I love flavour profiling and have explored countless different cuisines. Around 10 years ago, I started simple, with tikkas and burgers before stumbling upon what became my signature dish, butter chicken and naan. My very own recipe, which proved to be a massive hit, especially among my children, Tehillah, Angel, Jodee and Zoha,” she said.

One of her more unique inventions is her creamy, spicy chicken necks.

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“The chicken necks are basted in a homemade tikka masala and grilled over an open flame, giving it a smoky flavour. They are then added into a creamy sauce with flavours like smoked paprika, garlic and fresh chillies. It’s an unapologetically spicy and luxuriously creamy dish I like to pair with garlic naan,” said Pillai.

She hoped to explore more South Asian cuisines and recently started making her take on Chicken Kadai, a slow-cooked, spicy, tomato-based dish.

Pillai hopes to eventually put together a recipe book. She explained that she wants to empower people, especially women, to thrive in the food industry. She encouraged parents to teach their children how to cook.

She advised hopeful entrepreneurs and those wishing to break into the food industry to follow their dreams and never give up.

Advice for new cooks

“There are so many TikTok and YouTube videos out there. Watch those, read up on recipes, then make that recipe your own. Personalise it, flip it around, experiment,” encouraged Pillai.

Outside of cooking and baking, Pillai loves dancing, reading, relaxing walks and spending time with her children and grandchildren, as well as her pets. She joked that another hobby for her is just lying in bed.

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