MALKERNS– The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival has unveiled three celebrated chefs who will headline its culinary programme, promising festivalgoers an immersive journey into the richness of indigenous African cuisine under this year’s Nguni Foodways theme.
Taking place from August 1–2, 2026, at House on Fire in Malkerns, the festival’s culinary demonstrations will explore the evolution of traditional Nguni cuisine through contemporary techniques, storytelling and fine dining experiences.
Among the featured chefs is Eswatini’s own Chef Sive Bhembe, whose innovative approach to sustainable cooking and indigenous ingredients has positioned him among the country’s most exciting culinary talents.
Recognised through the LUJU Farm-to-Fork MasterChef Cook-Off, the TAVI Indigenous Vegetable National Competition, and his contribution to the TAVI Indigenous Cookbook, Bhembe continues to champion local food systems while showcasing the potential of contemporary Swazi cuisine.
At this year’s festival, he will present Nguni Desserts, a live culinary demonstration that reimagines traditional Nguni flavours through modern pastry techniques. The session will showcase how indigenous ingredients and time-honoured recipes can be transformed into elegant desserts while preserving their cultural significance.
South African culinary innovator Chef Mmabatho Molefe will also take centre stage with her Nguni Fine Dining Experience.
Widely recognised for her acclaimed restaurant Emazulwini, Molefe has built a reputation for elevating African cuisine by blending heritage, storytelling, design and refined culinary techniques.
Her demonstration will offer audiences a fresh perspective on indigenous food traditions, illustrating how African cuisine can embrace contemporary fine dining while remaining deeply connected to its cultural roots.
Adding another unique dimension to the programme is heritage chef, filmmaker and cultural archivist Prince Sivalo Mahlangu, who will present Ancestral Forage & Ferments.
Through his platform Magriza Made Me Cook, Mahlangu has dedicated his career to documenting indigenous African food knowledge and preserving ancestral cooking traditions across Southern Africa.
His demonstration will combine live cooking with storytelling, taking audiences on a journey through traditional preservation methods, foraging practices and fermentation techniques that have sustained African communities for generations. The session aims to highlight food as more than nourishment, presenting it as an expression of identity, memory and living cultural heritage.
The three culinary experiences form part of Luju’s broader Nguni Foodways programme, which celebrates indigenous food traditions, knowledge systems and the cultural connections shared across Southern Africa.
Organisers say this year’s culinary programme reflects the festival’s continued commitment to celebrating African excellence while inspiring new conversations about sustainability, innovation and the future of indigenous cuisine.
The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival returns to House on Fire on August 1–2, bringing together world-class food, fashion, music, design and entrepreneurship under the festival’s founding philosophy, “A Return to the African Future.”
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