{"id":21745,"date":"2025-12-01T07:34:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T05:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=21745"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T07:06:32","slug":"grab-a-seat-at-the-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2025\/12\/01\/grab-a-seat-at-the-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Grab a seat at the table"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having cereal for supper (again)? Put that bowl down. Yolandi North is here to bring back cooking, feasts and quality time at the table.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yolandi certainly has the gift. It\u2019s something she learnt from her grandmother, she says. \u201cEvery Christmas meant a trip to the shops for Pick \u2018n Mix, and she had her turkey and gammon ready by August,\u201d Yolandi remembers. And every meal was a banquet … her grandmother was famous for overcatering.<\/p>\n

Yolandi\u2019s mother inherited the talent for laying a table where everyone felt welcome. \u201cHer 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 \u2013 then we got out all the best.\u201d It really was a case of the more, the merrier.<\/p>\n

The neighbourhood teens developed a habit of visiting Yolandi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Fast forward a few decades, and now it\u2019s Yolandi bringing people together with her cooking classes. She\u2019s 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 \u2013 but, as is so often the case, life had other plans. \u201cMy dream was always to be a magazine editor.<\/p>\n

I love curating things, and I love anything to do with lifestyle \u2013 food, yes, but also d\u00e9cor and health and beauty,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Yolandi had found her niche, writing about things she really loved \u2013 and so, when the Covid-19 pandemic dealt South Africa\u2019s print industry a heavy blow, forcing most magazines to close, she felt the loss keenly. \u201cIt was like a death in the family,\u201d she admits.
\nIt was time for a reinvention \u2013 and, naturally enough, after years of writing about food and dabbling in creating her own recipes, Yolandi\u2019s thoughts turned to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

She completed her formal culinary training at the Prue Leith Culinary Institute in 2023, but then faced another big \u2018what now?\u2019 \u201cAlthough I knew I wanted the qualification, I wasn\u2019t sure what I would do with it. The plan was not to open a restaurant, at least in the short term \u2013 but I certainly had to put something that I had invested a lot of time and effort into to good use.\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer came one day when Yolandi was sitting behind her computer. \u201cIt dawned on me that we all spend hours and hours behind our screens, but I\u2019m someone who really enjoys working with people and connecting with them face to face.\u201d It\u2019s not only in the workplace where we\u2019re 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. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yolandi\u2019s classes are very much focused on providing practical solutions so, sure, she has knife skills that will make you go \u2018wow\u2019, but she\u2019s more interested in helping you answer the question \u201cWhat\u2019s for supper tonight?\u201d There are no Ottolenghi-style mystic ingredients or techniques like chiffonade, and you don\u2019t need to worry if you can\u2019t tell aioli from gochujang. \u201cThe idea is just to get you cooking fresh, wholesome dishes,\u201d Yolandi explains. She keeps classes small \u2013 seven people is her max \u2013 so that it\u2019s informal and chatty, and it\u2019s not unusual for her guests to suggest their own ideas or swipe a taste from their neighbours\u2019 bowl.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also committed to ensuring that her classes meet a genuine need. \u201cI 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\u201d \u2013 so those are classes currently under construction.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cOne of my guests told me that she felt like she had been given a gift after attending a class.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d signed up out of desperation … she had developed health issues and didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. \u201cIf I can make one person set a table \u2013 even if it\u2019s just for themselves, or they dial up a friend living overseas so they can share a glass of wine and a bite virtually \u2013 I\u2019ll be happy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Make Yolandi\u2019s vibrant, delicious green dip<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need:<\/strong><\/p>\n