Having cereal for supper (again)? Put that bowl down. Yolandi North is here to bring back cooking, feasts and quality time at the table.
Some people have an unerring knack for making things feel festive. They know just where to place a vase, or how much salt to add to bring a dish to life. And, as a result, every moment at their table feels like a real occasion.
Yolandi certainly has the gift. It’s something she learnt from her grandmother, she says. “Every Christmas meant a trip to the shops for Pick ‘n Mix, and she had her turkey and gammon ready by August,” Yolandi remembers. And every meal was a banquet … her grandmother was famous for overcatering.
Yolandi’s mother inherited the talent for laying a table where everyone felt welcome. “Her meals were more vleis, rys en aartappels (meat, rice and potatoes), but everyone was included. I remember all of us eating together, every night, even though it was just around our blue Panelite table. It was never very fancy, except on Sundays – then we got out all the best.” It really was a case of the more, the merrier.
The neighbourhood teens developed a habit of visiting Yolandi’s home before a night of partying, because they knew that her mom would have prepared burgers or a pot of pasta to line their stomachs before they went out. As a result, the house became the central gathering spot.
Fast forward a few decades, and now it’s Yolandi bringing people together with her cooking classes. She’s the first to admit that, having been in the media industry for many years, she had never thought of making a career out of food – but, as is so often the case, life had other plans. “My dream was always to be a magazine editor.
I love curating things, and I love anything to do with lifestyle – food, yes, but also décor and health and beauty,” Yolandi reflects. She lived that dream for a long while, with a stint in PR giving way to writing for a number of glossy publications. Then, when her son, Ollie, was born, she switched focus slightly to online, establishing her popular blog, A Zesty Life.
Yolandi had found her niche, writing about things she really loved – and so, when the Covid-19 pandemic dealt South Africa’s print industry a heavy blow, forcing most magazines to close, she felt the loss keenly. “It was like a death in the family,” she admits.
It was time for a reinvention – and, naturally enough, after years of writing about food and dabbling in creating her own recipes, Yolandi’s thoughts turned to the kitchen.
She completed her formal culinary training at the Prue Leith Culinary Institute in 2023, but then faced another big ‘what now?’ “Although I knew I wanted the qualification, I wasn’t sure what I would do with it. The plan was not to open a restaurant, at least in the short term – but I certainly had to put something that I had invested a lot of time and effort into to good use.”
The answer came one day when Yolandi was sitting behind her computer. “It dawned on me that we all spend hours and hours behind our screens, but I’m someone who really enjoys working with people and connecting with them face to face.” It’s not only in the workplace where we’re slowly losing that human touch, she continues – increasingly, our hours at home are marked by a lack of connection, with family members absorbed by their devices even during that most communal of times … meals. “I started thinking … I love feeding people, and I love meeting people. Hosting cooking classes seemed the best way to let me do both things at once.”
Yolandi’s classes are very much focused on providing practical solutions so, sure, she has knife skills that will make you go ‘wow’, but she’s more interested in helping you answer the question “What’s for supper tonight?” There are no Ottolenghi-style mystic ingredients or techniques like chiffonade, and you don’t need to worry if you can’t tell aioli from gochujang. “The idea is just to get you cooking fresh, wholesome dishes,” Yolandi explains. She keeps classes small – seven people is her max – so that it’s informal and chatty, and it’s not unusual for her guests to suggest their own ideas or swipe a taste from their neighbours’ bowl.
She’s also committed to ensuring that her classes meet a genuine need. “I get a lot of my ideas from listening to what people are talking about. One of my friends said that she would love to get her domestic cooking, while another commented that cooking together was a way for her to bond with her teen” – so those are classes currently under construction.
Launching her classes has given Yolandi a new lease on life. She has met members of her community she never knew, she has rekindled her own joy and creativity, and she takes enormous pride in the fact that she is passing on a passion that has been such a fixture in her own life. “One of my guests told me that she felt like she had been given a gift after attending a class.
She’d signed up out of desperation … she had developed health issues and didn’t really know where to turn. When she started thinking about how the food she eats contributes to her well-being, she wanted to cook again. Knowing that I had helped her in some way made me cry.”
What will Yolandi be dishing up next? Ideas for a cookbook are already simmering inside her head, but her first priority for now is a kitchen reno that will make it possible to open the courses to more people. “If I can make one person set a table – even if it’s just for themselves, or they dial up a friend living overseas so they can share a glass of wine and a bite virtually – I’ll be happy,” she says.
Make Yolandi’s vibrant, delicious green dip
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
You’ll need:
- 1 tin (410g) butter beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 125ml frozen peas
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 large (or 6 small) leaves of fresh mint
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ avocado
For garnish and serving – choose one or more of the following: 6 – 8 leaves of fresh mint, sprouts / micro herbs, Olive oil, breadsticks or carrots, Everything bagel sprinkle
To make: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until silky smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Enjoy with crudités, breadsticks, low-carb seed crackers or fresh bread.
Cook’s note: This dip will last in the fridge, in an airtight container for three days. Drizzle with olive oil so that the dip is just covered.
For more details, visit www.azestylife.co.za. Instagram: @azestylife
Article by Lisa Witepski.
Photos by Carmen Fraser-King and Melanie Wessels.
