Charné van Heerden was the life and soul of House of Machines, and there was probably a collective "Booooo!" when people heard she was moving on after six years behind the bar. Lucky for the crew, she only moved across the road, and opened her own very chilled, late-night cocktail lounge. HIBALL serves a range of cleverly-wrought cocktails in high ball glasses, along with flavoursome and comforting risottos. The idea is that it's not too raucous. You can linger over your drink and natter the night away, with a nourishing bowl to fill you up and the end of a night's 'gezelligheit'. We chatted about the joys and the challenges of opening your own shop - lessons learned and moves never-to-be-repeated.Check out HIBALL hereMessage me here with comments or guest suggestions.Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney WagyuGet a fair price with HeadsUpTop Restaurants in Cape Town according to the Inside Guide Survey www.rwm2012.com 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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144. Luke Dale-Roberts & Jason Kosmas - PLC
Luke Dale-Roberts and Jason Kosmas got back from setting up their London pop-up of Pot Luck Club in mid-August. It's running at the iconic Waldorf Hilton Hotel until the end of November 2025, with an option to extend if chefs and hotel agree. It's too early for any serious reviews to give us an idea of how the concept has been welcomed, but the two chefs loved doing it and working with a local team in Aldwych. I was very chuffed that they agreed to sit down and chat to me in the recently refurbished Cape Town home of PLC at the Biscuit Mill.Here's a link to their London pop-up Message me here with comments or guest suggestions.Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney WagyuGet a fair price with HeadsUpTop Restaurants in Cape Town according to the Inside Guide Survey www.rwm2012.com 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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143. Ashley Moss - Fyn & Ramenhead
Ashley Moss has worked with chef Peter Tempelhoff since he started his cooking journey at The Greenhouse. They’ve since partnered in opening a number of shops including FYN and Ramenhead. I spoke to him about the journey, his inspiration and the drive to create.Message me here with comments or guest suggestions.Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney WagyuGet a fair price with HeadsUp www.rwm2012.com 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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142. Kurt Ackermann - SA Urban Food and Farming Trust
Kurt Ackermann is the CEO of the Urban Food and Farming Trust which, among many other things, organises the annual Food Indaba in Cape Town. I sat down with him in the courtyard at Honest Chocolate in Wale Street to talk about the outcomes of Food Indaba 2025 and to learn more about what his organisation does. There's material for a dozen episodes here, but we tried to colour inside the lines. Perhaps there's meat for another long chat in the future.Message me here with comments or guest suggestions.Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney WagyuGet a fair price with HeadsUpTop Restaurants in Cape Town according to the Inside Guide Survey www.rwm2012.com 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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141. Justine Drake - Food Media Legend
In this episode, I sat down with Justine Drake to explore her impressive career and dive into the evolving landscape of food media. From storytelling to trends and being a judge on SA Masterchef, we discuss how the industry is shifting and what it means for food lovers everywhere. Justine booked me for one of the first food shoots I landed when I first moved to Cape Town in 2005, so we've known each other a long time. It was fantastic catching up with her, and learning more from someone who is something of a North star for local food publishing.Justine on InstagramMessage me here with comments or guest suggestions.Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney WagyuGet a fair price with HeadsUp www.rwm2012.com 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