Want to know more? Read Ivy's Story...

My name is Ivy Ndwanya. I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. Raised by a single parent, I grew up in the Nyanga Township’s KTC informal settlements, with my three siblings. I did all my schooling in Cape Town until my tertiary level when I obtained a bachelor degree in administration at the University of the Western Cape, which I had no interest in after completing it. I fell in love with cooking after working at a restaurant assisting the chef and I told myself this is a path that I am taking and I will make it happen and that was when I decided to go to school of cooking and completed my diploma in food preparation. Afterwards I worked for a company were I was doing catering for international students that come to South Africa for internships and I used my name as the brand for the kitchen, which is Ivy’s Kitchen. As time went by, I decide to do my own business since I was working at my previous jobs as if it was my own but it was not. So now I am the own of Ivy's Kitchen at the Observatory Lifestyle Market, where I make homely cooked, traditional Xhosa dishes. My food is special because at first it is cooked with love and secondly I always get compliments from my clients saying, my food makes them think of their mother's cooking at home. 

 

My food preparation starts at 6:30 in the morning when I arrive from the Delft township, where I life with my son. In the morning I start with home made deep fried bread, called ‘amagwinya’, for those clients that work early and need the bread for breakfast or lunch. Around 9am that is the time I start preparing for lunch, that is the noon. My meals are Beef stew, chicken, chicken curry, rice, sample and beans, pape, filled fat cooks and home made steam bread always with two sides of vegetables. I also make vegetarian meals on request including certain dietary foods. 

 

I do specials on certain days especially for students, because I think they should have the chance to buy traditional food for an affordable price (20 Rands) and I always try to be creative by making special events such as Xhosa feast day, where people get to experience food from a different culture. I am very happy with the step of starting Ivy’s Kitchen on my own because you know the extra hours you put will have a big reward at the end of the day.  

 

As good as it is to have my own kitchen there are many challenges too, like having to start from nothing for a business without any capital and ending up selling your home fridge as I did to start the kitchen. My biggest problem at the moment is a shortage of equipment such as microwaves, cooking pots, plates and a fridge in order to cook for more hungry clients. It would be wonderful to get people who can help with donations for such equipment, so I can feed more people, especially around lunch time, as there is a huge business park close by with many hungry people who value traditional food.  

 

My future plans for my business are, to have my name out there locally first and some day internationally being the best traditional South African homely cooked meals place. My vision is to see Ivy's Kitchen all over South Africa with meals to die for.

As a first step I want to be able to deliver meals especially to businesses here in Observatory, because I know there are many workers who would prefer traditional food over the normal canteen or take away offerings.

 

My word of advice to the youth is, let us be DIY (do it yourself), let us make something out of nothing but our will and imagination. Believing in ourselves and face our fears, as I am facing mine and I will achieve what I have set for myself.

Thank you.

- Ivy -

 

You have heard it and want to support her? Ivy is in need of:

 

         Plates: R300   ( ~ 20 EUR)

            Pots: R400   ( ~ 27 EUR)

Microwave: R600   ( ~ 40 EUR)

        Fridge: R4000 ( ~ 240 EUR)

 

If you are interrested in donating money, an item itself or get in touch with Ivy to learn more about her kitchen, contact me or visit the Obz Lifestyle Market!