By Sitha Maliwa:
In the heart of Cape Town, where luxury kitchens hum with precision, one woman’s story sizzles hotter than any stove. Nonkosi “Nonny” Vellem didn’t start with a chef’s knife in hand – she began as a cleaner, sweeping the floors of The Table Bay Hotel. Yet, amid the clatter of pots and the aroma of high tea, she discovered her true calling: pastry.
“I fell in love with pastry from the first moment I saw it,” Vellem recalls, her eyes lighting up. “I had no experience, just passion and curiosity.” Six months of cross-training later, she moved to the kitchen permanently, her talent impossible to ignore. The hotel sent her to the South African Chefs Academy, where she earned her diploma and set her sights on bigger dreams.
Today, Vellem is the executive sous chef at Times Square, orchestrating banquets with precision and flair, from hot and cold stations to delicate pastries. She has worked events for Miss SA, Basketball League Africa International, and even hosted Times Square’s inaugural Appetite Fest in 2019 under the mentorship of Group Executive Chef Adrian Vaughan.
But it’s not just the accolades that define her – it’s the fire she brings to the kitchen. She’s competed on Ultimate Braai Master, travelling the country and igniting flames alongside fellow chef Wenzi Mandiwana, earning the nickname “Sexy Chefs.”
“When you work in this world, you realise it’s more than cooking – it’s creativity, endurance, and heart,” she says.
Mother of three and often clocking 15-hour shifts, Vellem still finds time to innovate. Her experiments range from milk tart mousse with cherry compôte to cocktails destined to toast Women’s Month. “I sometimes shock myself with my creations,” she admits with a laugh.
Her advice for aspiring female chefs? “Believe in your flavours, trust your instincts, and never stop learning. Don’t be intimidated by challenges = use them to grow. Own your kitchen, own your success.”
As winter chills the air, Vellem’s go-to comforting lamb shank with creamy colcannon mash stands as a symbol of her journey: hearty, soulful, and unforgettable. From sweeping floors to commanding kitchens, Vellem proves that passion can turn the humblest beginnings into culinary royalty. – @NewsSA_Online
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