A Table in the Corner
A Table in the Corner is the space where Russel Wasserfall chats to people in the food industry about their passion and their take on the business of eating. Russel has worked in the media and food space for over 3 decades. He's run bars, restaurants and a confectionery factory, written for dozens of food and travel publications and made a bunch of cookbooks. His show is about the nitty-gritty of the food trade in all its forms. Top chefs, food artisans, proprietors, bakers, farmers, foragers, cheesemakers, writers, photographers, bloggers... you name it. If they’re involved in the food industry, you will meet them with Russel at A Table in the Corner.
Episodes
138 episodes
138. Sue Baker - Wild Peacock Products
Sue Baker is the eternal 'smous'. Starting out by sourcing and selling exceptional oysters to the top local restaurants back in 1992, Sue built Wild Peacock. Today it is a huge provisioner to the restaurant trade, with seafood, cheese and speci...
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33:01
137. Sven Tietz - HeadsUp Systems
HeadsUp Systems has created a powerful resource for restaurants. Specifically aimed at owner-run operations, it can also benefit groups of restaurants. Their main product is essentially a massive AI-managed spreadsheet that assembles and compar...
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39:24
136. Patricia Blacc - Restaurant Influencer
At a recent media event to promote the Seven Colours Sunday lunches at Marble, Cape Town, I was seated opposite the vivacious and interesting influencer, Patricia Blacc. As a member of a team that was around for the first lunar landing, and onc...
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31:54
135. Rudi Liebenberg - Executive Chef Between Hotels
I got to know Rudi Liebenberg when I worked as a photographer and spent many hours shooting in his kitchen at the Mount Nelson. His approach to cooking and mentoring the chefs on his brigade, constantly pushing them to do better and learn new t...
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42:59
134. Devin Wells - Zuney Wagyu
There's a trigger warning on this one for vegetarians or vegans. We do discuss the processing of livestock into meat products. I wanted to delve deeper into the family farming operations that produced the Zuney Wagyu brand, so I spo...
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39:56
133. Melinda Wiggins - Infinity Culinary Training
Chef Melinda Wiggins is the Director of Operations & Culinary Arts at Infinity Culinary Training a training facility that takes unskilled people - literally off the streets - and gives them basic kitc...
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32:38
132. Dion Vengatass - Violet by Vengatass
I first met Dion Vengatass in Chef Rudi Liebenberg's kitchen at the Mount Nelson Hotel. He barely looked up from his prep, just kept chopping and sorting at pace. He was the solid, do-it-all chef running all the sections that needed to operate ...
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36:24
131. Lance Littlefield - Motherdough
This is the second time I've had Lance Littlefield on the show. Back on Episode 77 he was an absolute mine of information on the craft of baking sourdough bread. We were introduced to 'Alfonsina' his starter, and the wonders of Motherdough Bake...
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30:14
130. Christophe Dehosse - Klein Joostenberg & Vine Bistro
I've known Christophe Dehosse for over a decade. The incredible bistro, deli and butchery he runs with his wife Susan is just round the corner from the site of my first Winelands restaurant. He was always good for a loooooong natter about the i...
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54:51
129. Melanie Stewart - Oranjezicht City Farm
In this episode I speak to Melanie Stewart who is the farm manager of Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF). The farm and her Tea With A Farmer farm tours are part of the two week programme for the Food Indaba happening in Cape Town from 7th to 20th of ...
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28:16
128. Bertus Basson - Ongetem
Bertus Basson is an absolute biscuit. He has an uncanny instinct for opening places you love to visit and feeding you things you love to eat. He's also been a tremendous source of advice and support since we first met in 2008. Ongetem is his ne...
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40:09
127. Will Hobson - Arthur's Mini Super
With a vague idea of generating a passive income using a bunch of catering stuff he had in storage, Will Hobson has built an iconic hangout in Sea Point with business partner Stephanie Anastasopoulos. ' Arthur's Mini Super' is many things to ma...
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52:39
126. Robyn Mechanicos - Labour of Love Bakery
Well curated markets are fantastic places to discover new products. I found the most delicious roast pork belly croissant at the Candor market a while back. It was delicious and unexpected and the story behind the baker so interesting that I im...
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35:52
125. Geoffrey Abrahams & Teenola Govender (G&T) - Coy
Geoffrey Abrahams and Teenola Govender are joint-head chefs at Coy Restaurant in the V&A Waterfront. They are affectionately known as G&T in the kitchens were they've worked, and these include Chefs Warehouse and Mazza. Having first met...
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51:07
124. Brett Nortjé - Rosemead Bakery, Yzerfontein
A while back, when we lived in the Swartland town of Darling, one of our regular delights was the drive to Yzerfontein to collect bread. Against a pretty large proportion of 'the odds', Yzerfontein is home to one of the best bakeries in the Wes...
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35:08
123. Tunde Akintan - The Yellow Wheelbarrow
Tunde Akintan has taken his love of chillies and hot food and turned it into an urban farming project near Gordon's Bay. We chatted about how the new product stand at OZCF Market has introduced Tunde and his 42 varieties of chillies to a broade...
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33:09
122. Henning Klopper - Zuney Wagyu & Zuney Burger
Huge supporters of this show, the team from Zuney Burger has brought an entirely fresh perspective to both livestock farming, and the farm-to-table movement. Their pasture-reared Wagyu beef makes it's way direct to consumers in the form of an a...
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36:43
121. Brad Armitage - The Mission for Inner City Cape Town
It is a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's Brad Armitage. Not for lack of trying, but it's taken 120 episodes to convince an operator I admire tremendously to pop in for a chat on the show. Not one to blow his own trumpet, along with Rui Esteves, Br...
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58:36
120. Kobus vd Merwe - Wolfgat
I snatched a rare chance to connect with Kobus van der Merwe of Wolfgat and sit down for a chat. He was taking a break in Yzerfontein - halfway from Paternoster to Cape Town, and we met at Rosmead Bakery to record a show. I long ago joined the ...
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49:56
119. Tapiwa Guzha - Tapi-Tapi Ice Cream
This is possibly the most fascinating episode I've recorded to date. Tapiwa Guzha was on my first ever list of guest. There were 10 or 12 people on that list, and had I spoken to Tapiwa way back then, it may well have changed the shape of the s...
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57:05
118. Dean Roux - Truck Norris
I'm following my curiosity about people who make a living from food outside of formal restaurants again. This time I'm chatting to Dean Roux who owns and operates a food truck called Truck Norris. Apart from the fact that his truck has a legend...
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37:15
117. Iain Harris - Food Indaba, Cape Town
The FOOD INDABA is an annual programme of talks and events that focus on the local food system. Running from 7-20 July this year, it brings together a wide range of speakers involved in shaping the food system, providing an opportunity for food...
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32:59
116. Max King - Stereo
A short while back, I discovered Stereo Eats through my friend Gillian Key. This concept eatery is based on a dark kitchen and an app which offers the best of 6 different fast- or convenience-food brands. It’s now a firm favorite with my daught...
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38:01
115. Nic Charalambous - Ouzeri
Nic Charalambous, the driving force, creator and voice behind the wildly popular Ouzeri restaurant in Wale Street, was my fourth guest on the show. Way back on Episode 4 he'd been open a year and found his easygoing eatery - which celebrates hi...
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35:53
114. Roushanna Grey - Veld & Sea Foraging Experiences
Veld & Sea has one of my favourite Instagram pages, and the mission of its founder - to teach people about the land and the ocean of Cape Town's south peninsula through foraging and flavour - has long fascinated me. I finally got to meet Ro...
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42:27
