Cape Town – When celebrity chef Sibahle “Siba” Mtongana appears on our TV screens, she is gracefully poised as she talks us through her mouth-watering recipes.
Her unique sense of style, which mixes contemporary with vintage, is immaculate. So is the dimpled smile she flashes while mixing various ingredients.
From our couches at home, Food Network’s show Siba’s Table, appears to be flawless.
What we don’t get to see is the amount of hard work that goes into putting an episode together.
It is a scorcher on the day we make our way to Mtongana’s home in Hout Bay, to which we have been invited to watch the filming of the second season of Siba’s Table.
We arrive around 30 minutes into the filming process and the spacious room we enter, filled with cameras and people, is a contrast between perfection and chaos.
One side is a suburban kitchen complete with an island countertop, while the other side is an organised mess of cameras, monitors carefully watched by the show’s production team.
The kitchen, with its modern appliances, is foodie heaven and photographs of Mtongana’s family give us a glimpse of her life away from the cameras – as a doting mother and wife.
Despite the number of people, which includes other members of the media, it is silent in the room. All eyes are on Mtongana, who is dressed in a black top and pants, her hair tied back in an elegant side bun.
She radiates warmth as she stands at the counter preparing a tuna and couscous salad.
Because she favours easy-to-make meals, she is often called the “queen of convenience”.
While the cameras are rolling, she is asked to repeat some of her lines several times.
She nods and follows the producer’s directions, her smile never leaving her face.
About 40 minutes and numerous takes later, she whips out her cellphone to snap a picture of the dish to send to her husband Brian.
The producer’s “It’s a wrap” is met with cheers.
Mtongana, a food and consumer sciences graduate from UCT, has become a household name – not only in South Africa but across the world.
She is the first South African celebrity chef to present a TV series on an American TV cooking channel and is loved for her sassy presenting style as she adds a modern twist to the traditional African foods she grew up with.
The show’s producer and managing director of Pacific Production, Rachel Purnell, who has produced other famous food shows such as Barefoot Contessa and Nigella Kitchen, says the production team consists of about 20 crew members from across the world.
“It’s an interesting mixture of a crew. Some of us have done this before and other people are new at it.
“The crew also changes quite a lot as some people are based in the UK, but it’s the kind of job that you won’t have any problem getting people to come to SA to do,” she says.
The second season of Siba’s Kitchen is 10 episodes long, says Purnell.
“Although most of them have a different story, some are compilations of Mtongana’s lovely recipes we have done in the past… a mixture of summer foods and soul food,” she says.
Even though each episode is between 22 and 24 minutes, it takes a day or two to shoot.
“Some of the episodes are more complicated than others and are shot in different venues,” she says.
“Mtongana is absolutely incredible, a beautiful person physically and mentally. Every single one of us thinks the world of her because she is unbelievably easy to work with, which makes our lives really, really easy,” says Purnell.
“She is always patient and takes direction very well, and that comes across on screen… people love her, not only here but Americans love her food too.”
Mtongana says that the second season “is filled with gorgeous new recipes, with a healthy twist”.
“Being a mother for the second time, has brought me back to, doing things the right way,” she says.
“I love to make recipes that perform what I refer to as a ‘double duty’. So it’s making use of your recipes in more than one way.
“I, for example, use my marinade and turn it into a dressing. It’s all about the shortcuts, while still making things from scratch.
“I love to turn everyday ingredients into something elegant,” adds Mtongana.
Siba’s Table is aired on Food Network, DStv Channel 175.
Chicken kebabs (a Siba favourite)
Preparation time: 15 minutes, cooking time: 8-10 minutes
Kebabs:
4 skinless chicken fillets, cubed
4 tsp za’atar
4 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lemons, sliced
2 lemons to halve for garnish
To serve:
8 bought mini pitas
Flat leaf parsley, a bunch
Wrap the pitas in foil and put into 200°C oven for 10 minutes to warm.
Combine the za’atar, garlic and olive oil and pour over the chicken. Toss to combine.
Thread the chicken onto metal skewers, with a folded slice of lemon in between each piece.
Each breast makes two kebabs. If using wooden skewers, soak them in warm water for a few minutes to prevent them from burning
Heat griddle and cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes,3-4 minutes on each side – rotating and pressing down the skewers to make sure they cook evenly.
Remove from heat and put on a platter. If you are not using straight away, cover with foil. Garnish with halved lemons and a bunch of parsley. Serves 4
Cape Argus