A shared culinary journey
Mzansi Meets
Italian.
Two culinary traditions in conversation, starting with the ingredients and the people behind them.
Co-founders Chef Zandile Makhoba (Chef Zandi) and Chef Paul Dukai set out to trace food from its source to the table. The project brings South African growers, indigenous ingredients and Italian cooking knowledge into one shared journey. It is a story of curiosity and collaboration, not fusion for its own sake.
Chef Zandile Makhoba · Chef Paul Dukai
From the film archive
A journey on the water.
A Mzansi Meets Italian field note from Chef Paul's archive: time spent at sea, looking more closely at where food begins.
From the source
The farm, the cook, the table.
At Umgibe Farm in Empolweni, the chefs met founder Ma Joy and explored a network of young growers in KwaZulu-Natal. Ingredients including amadumbe, Bambara beans and kiwano offered a place to begin: listening to the people cultivating them before deciding what to make in the kitchen.
Growers supported by the Umgibe Institute contributed produce from places including eJozini and Swayimani. A three-course meal at the farm brought that journey to the table. The point was to honour the farming knowledge and the people behind the food, while exploring what South African ingredients and Italian cooking can teach each other.
On film
The journey continues.
Episode one is on the project's official YouTube channel. Episode two is still to be filmed. Follow the channel for the next chapter when the team is ready to share it.
Visit Mzansi Meets Italian on YouTubeIn the press
The story in print.
TimesLIVE · 4 October 2025
Local growers, heritage ingredients and a shared table.
In a feature by Joy Mphande, Chef Zandile Makhoba describes the project's focus on small-scale farmers, sustainable sourcing and the journey from soil and sea to plate. The article also records dishes made with amadumbe, kiwano and Bambara beans, placing those ingredients and their growers in the wider story.
Read Joy Mphande's TimesLIVE feature