BY ZEE:
Smoke curled into the Johannesburg air as beef hit the flames, bringing two culinary worlds together – Kansas City barbecue and the unmistakable South African braai.
At the Johannesburg Culinary & Pastry School (JCPS) in Meredale, American chef Vaughn Good and South African chef Franco Buys turned up the heat for a culinary exchange that was as much about culture as it was about cooking.
Hosted as part of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa’s Public Diplomacy Culinary Arts Envoy Programme, the showcase formed part of Freedom 250, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Good, owner and executive chef of Kansas City’s Fox and Pearl restaurant and a 2020 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest, brought the flavours and techniques of American live-fire cooking to Johannesburg.
But this was no ordinary cooking demonstration.
For JCPS students and guests, the masterclass opened a window into the similarities – and differences – between American barbecue and the South African braai.
Both traditions place fire at the centre of the experience. Both bring people together. And both turn cooking meat into something far bigger than simply preparing a meal.
Good demonstrated techniques for preparing U.S. beef and showcased traditional American barbecue side dishes, while Buys and the JCPS students and lecturers brought a distinctly South African flavour to the table.
The result was a lively culinary conversation between two food cultures separated by thousands of kilometres but united by smoke, flame and a love of gathering around food.
For aspiring chefs, the exchange also offered a rare opportunity to learn directly from an internationally recognised culinary professional and to see how local food traditions can hold their own within a global culinary landscape.
Mamosa Makaya, Public Engagement Specialist: EOL at the U.S. Embassy, said the programme demonstrated the power of food as a tool for cultural diplomacy.
The kitchen, she suggested, can become a meeting place where cultures exchange ideas, challenge perceptions and discover what they have in common.
And that is precisely what unfolded in Meredale.
There was American barbecue. There was South African braai. There was beef, smoke and fire.
But beneath it all was a much bigger conversation about heritage, identity, community and the stories people carry through food.
As Good and Buys brought their respective traditions to the same flame, the message was clear: sometimes the quickest way to discover common ground is to gather around a fire, share a plate and let the food do the talking. – @NewsSA_Online
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