Babalwa Nogoboka is a prominent Xhosa chef and owner of PattyPans catering business. She developed her passion for cooking from her grandmother who she enjoyed watching cook elaborate meals for the family from a young age. Despite losing her grandmother at a young age and having to support herself, Babalwa pursued her culinary dreams through technical college and her first job as a head chef. She now faces challenges as a black woman in the male-dominated culinary industry but has created her own business, PattyPans, to have more freedom to experiment with her cultural cooking style.

1. Interview: Babalwa Nogoboka March 19, 2015
Africa's Digest March 2015 1
THE GRACE OF BABALWA
"I never thought
of giving up,
even when
everything
seemedagainst
me."
Despite adversity and cultural barriers this
prominent Xhosa Chef lets nothing stand in
her way. We all could learn a thing or two
from the successful business owner of
PattyPans, Babalwa Nogoboka.
Dara Lewis (DL) I had the amazing opportunity to eat your
food for the past couple days,please, tell me where did your
inspiration to cook developed?
Babalwa Nogoboka (BN) I grew up watching my
grandmother cook, she was just exceptional! I remember her
waking up as early as possible to prepare a nice warm meal
for the family. I really enjoyed watching her prepare meals
it was so effortlessly done. I wanted to be like that....just like
her.
DL Did you ever help your grandmother prepare the
meals?
BN Yes, all the time. In the Xhosa household the women
must know how to cook. At a very young age I was peeling
vegetables for her. By the time I was ten years old I was
making meals for the whole household.In our culture, your
extended family lives with you. So, I was making dinner for
many people.
DL You were preparing entire meals at the age of ten, I
find that impressive. So you had lots of practical
knowledge as well as cultural knowledge with cooking.
Did you find it imperative to get a degree in culinary
arts?
BN I wanted to go to university, I knew it would help me
with pursuing my dreams. At times it didn't seem
possible though.My mother and father were not apart of
my life, I only had my grandmother and when she passed
away my life completely changed.I was young and
emotionally devastated when she died. I had no one to
help me with school,I didn't know what I was going to
do.
DL I'm sorry to hear that,what did you do then?
BN I did what I had to do. I worked in my spare
time...made enough money to move to East London, got
accepted into Intech College. I then started working in
the kitchen of a local hotel to pay my college fees. It
was very hard. I never thought of giving up, even when
everything seemed against me. My grandmother's death
made me very independent early in life,

2. Interview: Babalwa Nogoboka March 19, 2015
Africa's Digest March 2015 2
As she effortlessly
juggles onions, Babalwa
shows us how to have
fun while working.
DL Although the reason why you became independent is not
ideal, would you say that developing that quality early in life
has been beneficial? And how so?
BN Greatly, I'll share this with you....I had a month left to
work at the hotel, and that was my only source of income.
Again I didn't know what I was going to do. My landlord who
really appreciated my work ethic recommended me to a
German couple looking to hire a chef for their 5 star restaurant.
It was drive to succeed that my landlord liked, I gained that
through being independent. That was my first real job as a
chef, and I was the head chef.
DL I guess you neverreally know who's watching! Now
that you are an established chef, what do you find is one of
the hardships you face?
BN I would have to say the discrimination. As a woman in
the chef industry,especially a black woman, it is very
difficult at times. I am not always taken seriously. I have to
assert myself very often, even within my own culture. In
South Africa if the woman is a chef she tends to be white.
Many times you will see the face of a cooking company is
white but the people in the kitchen are all black. That is
partly why I decided to create PattyPans.
DL I know many women can relate to that statement, it can
be difficult at times navigating through male dominated
fields. Tell me more about PattyPans
BN Well, I wanted to go into business formyself. I wanted
to be able make my own rules. PattyPans,is fun, creative,
and the meals have cultural significance. I'm able to
experiment and step outside my boundaries as a chef
because of PattyPans.
FUN FACTS ON OUR FAVORITE CHEF:
Babalwa means The Grace of God
Why the name PattyPans? It's her all time favorite
squash!
Ingredients to making a great chef: Passion and
dedication
Favorite Chef besides her Grandmother: Gordon
Ramsey
Spice she can't live without: ROSEMARY
In 5 years she will be: Running a huge global catering
business with baking and a chocolatier bistro