Global gourmets get a taste for SA's 'Sibalicious' food

South Africa’s hottest chef‚ Food Network star Siba Mtongana‚ spiced up the annual Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Yantai‚ China‚ when she scooped an award for Africa.

Mtongana was the only author from the continent to be honoured in the “special awards” category for her debut cookbook‚ My Table‚ which is a runaway bestseller.

It has outstripped the sales of any cookbook stocked by Woolworths and the recipes for her cooking show have been translated into many languages‚ including Russian and Arabic.

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After accepting the award on Friday‚ Mtongana said: “I am absolutely honoured to receive this prestigious global recognition‚ not only for me but for my country South Africa and my continent Africa.”

Mtongana told The Times: “There is so much young Africans have to contribute to the global community. It’s my goal to represent and showcase the continent’s drive‚ innovation and skill on the international stage. Participating in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards is just one way in which to do that.”

Former US First Lady Michelle Obama was honoured as the US recipient in the same special awards category of the event‚ which reviews cookbooks from more than 200 countries and is nicknamed the Oscars of food publishing.

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Mtongana’s company‚ Siba Co‚ produced and published the book. She is expanding her business further this year with plans to open a restaurant in Cape Town.

Born in Mdantsane‚ Mtongana studied food and consumer science at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology‚ and was by chefs like Delia Smith‚ Jamie Oliver‚ Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater.

Half the recipes downloaded from Food Network UK are hers‚ even though the “Sibalicious” chef is just one of some 20 celebrity chefs featured on its page.