Nic Charalambous, the driving force, creator and voice behind the wildly popular Ouzeri restaurant in Wale Street, was my fourth guest on the show. Way back on Episode 4 he'd been open a year and found his easygoing eatery - which celebrates his Cypriot heritage and its culinary traditions as well as those of Greece - awarded a star at the Eat Out Awards. In year three, in late March 2025, Ouzeri joined the ranks of two star Eat Out Restaurants. Nic and I chatted about his journey, the focus and intention he brings to what he does, and what Eat Out recognition (and being added to the 50 Best Discovery list) meant to him and his team at Ouzeri. Ouzeri WebsiteSend us a text On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay
Veld & Sea has one of my favourite Instagram pages, and the mission of its founder - to teach people about the land and the ocean of Cape Town's south peninsula through foraging and flavour - has long fascinated me. I finally got to meet Roushanna Grey and we had an engrossing conversation. As always it was too short and there was so much more we could have explored. Links to her website and that beautiful Instagram profile are below if you want to learn more.Veld & SeaThe Instagram Page Send us a text On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay
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113. Emily Robertson - Egg & Shoulders
Week after week I see the menus for Egg & Shoulders ready meals. They are seasonal, interesting and depart from the norm of the home delivery or frozen meal services. Of course there are the standards - the lasagne, the ravioli - but there are always interesting things. While I've been tempted to order many times, I sometime wonder who else is ordering terrines or wild leaf salads. Curious about her drive for innovation, who her customers are, and how she reaches them, I sat down for a chat with Emily Harriet Bulbring Robertson. I learned she is a very capable, driven human with time in top kitchens under her belt, but perhaps even more important, I discovered she delivers in the Deep South. Hurrah!Egg & Shoulders WebsiteRWM and Podcast websiteSend us a text On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay
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112. Matthew Gordon - French Connection
Matthew Gordon has been there since the beginning. He is one of the architects of the explosion of restaurants in the previously sleepy Western Cape village of Franschhoek. Haute Cabriere put him firmly on the map, but the little restaurant he operated out of his family guesthouse, Balon Rouge is where it all began. Today he is the chef/operator of French Connection which has been a popular eatery in the village for the past 23 years. We spoke about the growth of Franschhoek's dining scene, the changes he's seen, people he's worked with, and the importance of consistency in building a business that will survive in a tumultuous restaurant scene.French Connection BistroSend us a text On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay
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111. Chef Peter Ayub - The Intern Chat
Chef Peter Ayub runs the excellent Sense of Taste Cooking school with his wife Deb, teaching young hopefuls the trade of being a chef. He reached out, concerned about how some of his students are treated when they go out into the industry to do their pracs and learn about how kitchens work. We share the view that these young chefs are there to absorb new skills and be taught by the chefs under whom they work. The reality in some frantically busy, sometimes under-staffed businesses is that they end up on the line, working as unpaid staff on a single station, pulling impossibly long shifts. Pete and I had a natter about that some of the challenges youngsters face and agreed that the old trope about initiating new blood on the brigade should perhaps be a more gentle process and not just a meat grinder where only the strong make it to a career in a kitchen.Sense of Taste Chef SchoolSend us a text On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay
A Table in the Corner is the space where Russel Wasserfall chats to people in the food industry about their passion and their take on the business of eating. Russel has worked in the media and food space for over 3 decades. He's run bars, restaurants and a confectionery factory, written for dozens of food and travel publications and made a bunch of cookbooks. His show is about the nitty-gritty of the food trade in all its forms. Top chefs, food artisans, proprietors, bakers, farmers, foragers, cheesemakers, writers, photographers, bloggers... you name it. If they’re involved in the food industry, you will meet them with Russel at A Table in the Corner.
South Africa