FROM bartender to bar owner is a road well travelled by ambitious 2014 MasterChef SA contestant Ndumiso Mncwabe.
During his tenure as a bartender, Mncwabe, 28, from Durban, worked hard, pouring all sorts of drinks while masterminding his next move. Some considered his work a classic dead-end job but he made inroads until the only way up the drink-slinging ladder was to own a bar.
"I am in the mixology business for three years now; my company provides a full bar service for high-end and private functions, including large-scale events," he says about his mobile bar business.
"In the next five years I want my company to have a national footprint and work with bigger metros including Johannesburg and Cape Town."
On how he got onto MasterChef SA , Mncwabe says: "[In business] you ask yourself what other offering one can bring in . Food and drinks go well together."
He says he hopes to marry his bar skills with his passion for food, and then open his own trendy steakhouse, not a shisa nyama.
His relaxed approach to making well-balanced, flavourful, hearty food is what earned this savvy businessman his spot in the MasterChef SA kitchen
On day one of boot camp, Mncwabe prepared angelfish with an impressive grapefruit hollandaise sauce. On day two he tantalised the judges' palates with his open ostrich steak sandwich.
Although eliminated in the Top 9 his food journey continues.
"I am looking forward to incorporating my style of cooking with some elements I learnt from other contestants.
"I am a very attentive and inquisitive guy who watched the entire cooking process when growing up. That's how my love for food began."
With his passion, and complete love to serve, Mncwabe is destined to go far with his business ambitions.
mahlanguba@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Barman adds love of food to business mix
FROM bartender to bar owner is a road well travelled by ambitious 2014 MasterChef SA contestant Ndumiso Mncwabe.
During his tenure as a bartender, Mncwabe, 28, from Durban, worked hard, pouring all sorts of drinks while masterminding his next move. Some considered his work a classic dead-end job but he made inroads until the only way up the drink-slinging ladder was to own a bar.
"I am in the mixology business for three years now; my company provides a full bar service for high-end and private functions, including large-scale events," he says about his mobile bar business.
"In the next five years I want my company to have a national footprint and work with bigger metros including Johannesburg and Cape Town."
On how he got onto MasterChef SA , Mncwabe says: "[In business] you ask yourself what other offering one can bring in . Food and drinks go well together."
He says he hopes to marry his bar skills with his passion for food, and then open his own trendy steakhouse, not a shisa nyama.
His relaxed approach to making well-balanced, flavourful, hearty food is what earned this savvy businessman his spot in the MasterChef SA kitchen
On day one of boot camp, Mncwabe prepared angelfish with an impressive grapefruit hollandaise sauce. On day two he tantalised the judges' palates with his open ostrich steak sandwich.
Although eliminated in the Top 9 his food journey continues.
"I am looking forward to incorporating my style of cooking with some elements I learnt from other contestants.
"I am a very attentive and inquisitive guy who watched the entire cooking process when growing up. That's how my love for food began."
With his passion, and complete love to serve, Mncwabe is destined to go far with his business ambitions.
mahlanguba@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos