Irresistible boerie rolls: roadside stand draws people from far & wide

We find Johan Grobbelaar sitting in his Kombi packing out his stock, munching on a boerewors roll. "Everyone just calls me Grobbie," he says.

Grobbie's boerewors stand started on the pavement, he says, pointing to the busy Rand Airport Road, close to the entrance of Rand Airport. "I think it was sometime in 2003. He pauses. "When last did it snow in Johannesburg, because it was a couple of years before that."

Today the boerewors stand is a slightly more formalised outfit than the charcoal-braai-and-canopy setup it started with. Set back from the road, under some trees, it boasts a shelter, a fenced-off area, chairs and tables and dustbins. They planted a couple of shrubs, feed the pigeons daily with stale breadcrumbs and deal with a steady stream of customers.

Laid back but organised, it's clean and efficient. Hendrik Botha manages the orders and takes the money. Brian Viljoen is the braai master. "Today we use a gas braai because it's so convenient," says Grobbie.

I've come to find what many consider the best boerewors roll in town, and I canvass some of the customers.

"I work close by and travel this road often," says one. "I have supported Grobbie's for years. His wors rolls are better than any I've ever tasted. I can't even make them as good, using the same boerewors at home."

A lady in pink slippers describes it as the best boerewors roll on the East Rand. She says she has been coming to the stand since it opened for business.

Grobbie says he believes the popularity is due to the quality of the boerewors, which comes from Olympia Butchery in Germiston - "You can't compromise on the wors," he says - the freshness of the rolls (bought from a local Spar daily) and generosity (there are more than 15 sauces and you can help yourself to as much as you want). "And, real All Gold tomato sauce," he says. "The customers know if it's not the real thing."

The stand sells three items - the famous boerie roll (R28), prego roll (R35) and cheese griller roll (R30). "Boerewors rolls are by far the most popular," says Grobbie. "It's 80% of our business."

On good days they sell about 300 boerewors rolls, although the slowdown in the economy has had an impact.

The verdict? Photographer Simphiwe Nkwali and I sit under the trees to put the rolls to the test. The boerewors is excellent, perfectly cooked, and Simphiwe says it is one the best boerie rolls he has ever eaten - and he is ready for his second one.

"The big thing here is the people who come," says Grobbie. "They are from different backgrounds. We have made friends from all over the world. Some days the cars stretch around the corner, particularly Fridays."

Visit: Grobbies Boerewors Rolls, Power St, Germiston, Joburg.