Fresh off a standout creative collaboration with Nando’s, culinary curator and founder of eatery Food, I Love You, Mpho Phalane is cementing her place as one of South Africa’s most exciting cultural storytellers.
Tasked with imagining what Johannesburg would taste like, Phalane co-created a limited-edition sauce that is less of a condiment and more of a love letter to the city that raised her.
But her story stretches far beyond this flavour-packed moment. A born-and-bred Joburger, Phalane has built her career at the intersection of food, heritage, and design.
Food is storytelling
From her experiential culinary studio at the historic Old Fort at Constitution Hill, she crafts intentional food journeys that honour indigenous knowledge and reframe South African culture through a fresh, contemporary lens.
Since launching Food, I Love You in 2013, she has collaborated with global brands, cultural institutions, and communities across the country.
While her projects vary, her philosophy remains the same: food is storytelling, a keeper of memory, a marker of identity, and a vessel for belonging.
Her partnership with Nando’s marks a milestone in that journey, spotlighting her ability to translate Johannesburg’s layered identity for both local and international audiences.
As part of the project, Phalane penned a short, evocative poem printed on the packaging, an ode to the city that fuels her craft: “Jozi, my Jozi. You’re bold. You’re loud. You’re a masala mix of culture and flavour. Stirred like our Gogos taught us, no recipe, just instinct.”
Jozi Street Sauce
Speaking to Sunday World, Phalane reflects on bringing Johannesburg to life through taste.
“When Nando’s asked me to imagine what Johannesburg would taste like, I went straight to memory, to the warmth, grit, brightness and unapologetic character of the city that raised me.
“Jozi is layered and full of heart, and I wanted to translate that into a flavour people could take with them long after they have left.”
Created for the G20 Summit, Jozi Street Sauce is a naartjie atchar peri-peri blend designed to give international delegates a final, unforgettable taste of the city.
Bold, bright and unmistakably Joburg, the sauce captures the energy, creativity, and cultural richness that define the metro.
