FOOD & WINE
Meet your
flavours
Juan Andres Vais
Juan Andres Vais left Argentina over two decades ago, but Argentina never left him.
Now firmly rooted in Cape Town, Juan has spent 22 years doing one thing with singular obsession — cooking over fire. Not just grilling, but the full gaucho ritual: the patience, the smoke, the heat that builds slowly and rewards those willing to wait. At African Gaucho, he's taken that obsession and shaped it into one of South Africa's most distinctive culinary experiences, one where every event feels less like a catering job and more like a performance.
His philosophy is simple and uncompromising — everything goes over the fire. Starters, mains, desserts, all of it cooked with flame and intention, because for Juan, the fire isn't a technique, it's a language he's spent a lifetime learning to speak fluently.
That commitment was put to its most extreme test when he was commissioned to roast a whole Ankole cow — one of Africa's most prized and rarely eaten animals — over live fire for 170 guests. He trucked a custom rotisserie from Cape Town, worked through three days with barely any sleep, and delivered a feast that had never been done before at that scale in South Africa. The kind of feat that leaves no doubt about who you're dealing with.
Tebogo Morgan
Chef Tebogo was born in Mthatha and grew up in Johannesburg, and you can taste both places in his food. He trained through the International Chef Management Diploma at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Cape Town, then built his own thing from there: CRAVINGS, Gourmet Rainbow Cuisine.
Tebogo cooks like the Rainbow Nation actually eats, pulling in Asian spice and Mediterranean flavour and putting it all over an open flame. He calls it Fire & Fusion.
He's cooked intimate dinners for a handful of people and big events for hundreds.
At Chefs & Chenin, Tebogo and the CRAVINGS team are firing up a fusion of flavour.
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson is an Executive Chef, entrepreneur and published author with over three decades in the culinary industry. As Managing Director of Added Touch Catering & Events since 2005, she's built a reputation for exceptional dining experiences and large-scale corporate events, and for training the next generation of culinary professionals.
Her work stretches well beyond the kitchen — she's a motivational speaker, life coach and industry thought leader who's cooked for President Nelson Mandela, President Thabo Mbeki, and global diplomats. She's the author of Dare to Dream, a recipe book and memoir that won the African Authors Award in the Food Category, and has worked as a food editor for leading publications.
She's currently pursuing a Diploma in Diet & Nutrition, expanding her expertise into the connection between food and wellness.
Jacques Venter
Jacques Venter was born and bred in Johannesburg, and has spent over two decades working his way through some of the city's most respected kitchens. He started out in 2003 as a commis chef at The Castle Kyalami, before moving to Forum Homini's Roots restaurant for fine dining tasting menus, then Coco C in Bloemfontein, and the 5-star Radisson Blu Sandton, where he rose to Executive Sous Chef.
Since 2019, Jacques has been a Food Specialist at Pick n Pay On Nicol and Thyme restaurant — the retail side of the food world, where he's learned that detail is everything.
