Fresh from her recent collaboration with Nando’s, where she was invited to imagine what Johannesburg would taste like, culinary curator and founder of Food, I Love You, Mpho Phalane is cementing her place as one of South Africa’s most influential cultural storytellers.
Mpho Phalane, culinary curator and founder of Food, I Love You. image supplied
The limited-edition sauce she co-created is more than a flavour innovation; it’s an extension of her artistic language: translating memory, identity, and Johannesburg’s layered personality into something edible and deeply evocative.
But Phalane’s culinary storytelling began long before this collaboration. Rooted in her upbringing as a born-and-bred Joburger, her work explores the intersection of food, heritage, and design.
From her experiential culinary studio at Constitution Hill’s historic Old Fort, she designs intentional food experiences that honour indigenous knowledge while offering a modern reframing of South African culture.
Since launching Food, I Love You in 2013, she has collaborated with global brands, cultural institutions, and local communities—without ever compromising her philosophy:food is storytelling.
Food preserves memory. It creates belonging. It expresses identity.
Her partnership with Nando’s reflects an important step in her creative evolution. It underscores her ability to interpret the spirit of Johannesburg for both local and international audiences and highlights her growing role as a cultural curator shaping the future of South African cuisine.
The collaboration also includes a poem she wrote for the packaging — an intimate introduction to the city that inspires her work:
Jozi, my Jozi. You’re bold. You’re loud. You’re a masala mix of culture and flavour. Stirred like our Gogo’s taught us, no recipe, just instinct.
Mpho Phalane on capturing Jozi in a bottle, “When Nando’s asked me to imagine what Johannesburg would taste like, I went straight to memory, to the warmth, grit, brightness and unapologetic character of the city that raised me. Jozi is layered and full of heart, and I wanted to translate that into a flavour people could take with them long after they have left.”
As part of the G20 Summit, Phalane partnered with Nando’s to co-create Jozi Street Sauce, a naartjie atchar peri-peri blend inspired by the city's energy and cultural fusion. Designed as a parting gift for international delegates, the sauce offers one final, flavourful connection to Johannesburg—a tribute to its creativity, warmth, and unmistakable spirit.
Jozi Street Sauce is available exclusively at Big 5 Duty Free Stores at O. R. Tambo International Airport, giving travellers a meaningful memento that carries a taste of Jozi into the world.
