Nthabiseng Ramaboa, also known as Chef Nti, is the freshest face in South African lounges these days. Inspired by her grandmother' s cooking and food stars like Natasha Sideris, originator of the Tasha's chain of restaurants, and Siba Mtongana of Siba's Table, Ramaboa has created her own cooking show called The Perfect Ace with Chef Nti.Ramaboa was born and raised in Tladi, Soweto. Her cooking show is premised on taking pap into suburban homes as something rather fancy to eat.''The show is shot in reality style, and encourages people to cook their pap and cabbage differently, using ingredients they have in their homes to create a delicious meal without spending a lot," she says.The 32-year-old credits the idea behind the show to a desire to remind people of the food they enjoyed as children."I grew up in the townships where this was our staple diet."Just because I've moved to the suburbs doesn't mean I don't still enjoy eating pap."In the show, Ramaboa visits homes around Africa and finds many people who love pap and connect it with their childhoods."There are scenes of guys braaiing, scenes of dinner dates, scenes in which a wife is cooking for her husband and others where Gogo is cooking for her grandchildren. Food, specifically pap, provides a common connection between people," she says.Ramaboa fell in love with cooking at age 13, when she shared house chores with her sister. "I always chose to cook while she cleaned," she says.But cooking wasn't her first career choice. She has a background in fashion. Her clothing label, Belle Couture, was also the name of her boutique, and she showed a collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2012.Now she's swapped the catwalk for the kitchen.So what made her change direction ?"In 2014 I packed my bags for Los Angeles," she says.There she joined the Bloggers Association and started a food blog called PS I Cooked This.Her blog became so popular that she was encouraged to join the International Hotel School, doing a culinary art diploma."I started my business by teaching people how to cook in their homes," she says."Some of my clients included single dads who learned to cook for their kids. Others wanted me to teach their helpers how to prepare delicious meals for them," she says."The show replicates my daily business, but always using pap as an ingredient."Ramaboa was mentored by Jeff Schueremans from the SA Chefs Association.She has travelled the world learning about different food and building herself into a brand. Her standout achievement was when she was invited by an oil company in Nigeria to set up their kitchen and assist with serving their executives."Even though I've tasted the finest food on my travels, I love African food best. It has soul, personality, it's tasty and it connects me to my past."The Perfect Ace with Chef Nti is on e.tv, Sunday at 12 noon...