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In tribute to Philippa Cheifitz, doyenne of food

By Katharine Pope, 5 December 2025

Philippa Cheifitz, food editor and doyenne of the culinary world, passed away this week. She was 84.

Woolworths TASTE’s very first food editor, Phillippa grew up in a traditional Jewish household, the granddaughter of eastern European immigrants. She switched careers from psychology to food early on, and we are the better for it. She produced her last story for TASTE at the age of 81. The repository of her TASTE recipes remains here.

She was vocal about her dislike of fussy dishes for home cooks, distilling influences from her travels, other cooks’ recipes, bloggers, new ingredients, flavours and techniques to create recipes with the unmistakable mark of simplicity. Every recipe was tested and perfected.

Mediterranean flavours were a favourite – brinjals, lamb, hummus, a gentle pilau, a spiced cake; or Asian-inspired salads, noodles and stir-fries. She also loved seafood, thanks to her connection with Paternoster, the town that inspired her book Lazy Days, which had two print runs.

She also published Monday to Sunday (2001), Cape Town Food (2004), Seasons (2005), and the brilliant collection of local dishes and stories, South Africa Eats.

Tributes poured in from industry friends and admirers.

“I absolutely adored Philippa. She was one of the most creative and stylish people I’ve ever met, in every area of her life, although she became best-known for her food. Of course she was a brilliant cook, and one of the few who made it look genuinely easy: unhurried, generous, completely unpretentious. I found it hugely impressive that she could identify every single flavour in other people’s food, too. We’d be eating lunch in a restaurant and she’d say, ‘There’s a tiny bit of fenugreek (or whatever) in this’ – long before fenugreek (or whatever) was a thing – and she was always right. But I think the thing I loved most about her was the way she laughed: her eyes would close, her face would kind of split into this huge grin and she’d rock forward, absolutely shaking with laughter – but without making any sound at all, to the point that, if you hadn’t been laughing so much yourself, you might have become a bit concerned. She was a fabulous colleague and friend, and I feel so lucky and glad to have known her.” – Suzy Brokensha, editor of Fairlady

“Philippa was a truly classy broad and an inspiring friend to working women. She embodied an extremely modern combination of taste and chic, with an authentic understanding and appreciation of the kind of food that could power a career, a family, a home. Her food was for humans who might have had a challenging 9 to 5, but who still celebrated quality and the deliciousness and magic of food made at the stove and shared around a happy table. I remember this from her work back in the 80s. I took her COSMOPOLITAN cookbook to the kitchen of my first flat in London and have referred to it ever since. It still holds a place in my recipe book collection and a place in my heart. As does she.” – Vanessa Raphaely, founder of The Village

Mushroom-and-rosemary fettuccine recipe

“From the very first day, I loved working with Phillippa. I had the privilege of photographing her dishes for every issue of TASTE magazine over eight years, and in that time we developed an understanding – often without needing to say a word. I knew what her food needed, and she trusted me and her team completely. Family meant everything to Philippa and that showed in her cooking. She cared deeply about who was going to make and eat her food and that her food would be shared. After she retired, we'd sometimes meet for coffee and soon discovered a shared fondness for the game of Scrabble. She was a formidable player, so it seems fitting that when we last met, just last Monday in St James, she beat me resoundingly – as she always did.”- Toby Murphy, photographer

“Phillipa was a gentle soul with a smile that lit up the room, and we are all poorer with her unexpected passing. We would often chat about food, and her knowledge and ability to switch between cuisines was remarkable, yet she remained so humble and grounded. Her approach to cooking was genuine and heartfelt. It was about family, sharing and generosity, but never frivolous or wasteful. It was about affordability without compromising on flavour. She would spend a lot of time testing and retesting her recipes, and not a shoot would go by without her calling to ask what we thought and whether we had any recommendations or changes. After every TASTE feature, I would revise my ‘fave Phil recipe’ until I came to realise that there was no ‘fave’! They were all just fabulous in that Phil style! Photographer Toby Murphy and I chatted a lot to her about producing a last cookbook, a weighty tome of knowledge that would celebrate her incredible contribution to the local food scene and something her family and grandchildren could treasure in the years to come. On hearing the news of her passing, I felt huge regret that we didn’t push harder to make this happen. Perhaps it’s not too late and this could still come to fruition, and what a fitting tribute it would be to a simply wonderful woman.” – Brita du Plessis, food stylist

Apple-and-honey cake recipe

“Philippa has shared so many of her favourite recipes that have been left on our tables to celebrate. Her recipes were not only steeped in tradition but also unique in a modern way. Out of all her books I loved Lazy Days, inspired by her West Coast lifestyle. I often make her anchovy butter recipe. She oozed style as much as she did her passion for the industry. May her delicious plates of food continue to nourish our hearts and souls. Rest in peace, Phil.” – Abigail Donnelly

“My first thought when I heard that Phil had passed away was that she’d be somewhere with her beloved Robert eating something elegant and delicious. And also that she was a huge influence on where I ended up in my career and I will be making (and passing on) many of her recipes for the rest of my life. It’s such a privilege to have known and worked with her.” – Kate Wilson

“Philippa's work at TASTE set a standard of thoughtfulness around food that continues to guide us today. She had an extraordinary ability to bring stories to life – to make ingredients sing, to honour local producers, and to craft recipes that carried both comfort and sophistication. Philippa approached her craft with kindness and generosity. Her encouragement and insight influenced countless cooks, editors and stylists who were fortunate enough to cross her path. Her legacy lives on in every issue of TASTE and every person she taught to look at food with both curiosity and respect.” – Elizka Ferreira, Woolworth head of foods marketing

“I met Phillippa for the first time in my professional capacity when she was the food editor for House & Leisure magazine and again when I started working at TASTE. Always impeccably dressed, super professional, so lovely and generous with her time, and equally patient with my recipe questions. She was one of a kind. RIP, Phil the legend.” – Liesl Nicholson

Slow-braised duck legs recipe

“When I was a brand-new copy editor first at Femina magazine, and then at TASTE, Phillippa was always so kind and patient with my endless questions, and always so gracious in her replies. Her food was unfussy, fresh and delicious and has inspired a devoted following throughout South Africa. She will be deeply missed.” – Lynda Ingham-Brown

“Phillipa was such an inspired cook, and full of fantastic ideas. She was ahead of her time, playing with ingredients a large portion of South African cooks hadn’t really explored, while also giving a respectful nod to tradition. She was cooking with millet before a lot of us knew what it was. She always brought such a bright, fresh presence to TASTE’s pages and her dishes were always as delicious as they were memorable. I’ve taken inspiration from many of her dishes including her slow-braised duck legs.
She’s inspired a generation of cooks with her deep sense of style and food sense and will be sorely missed and vividly remembered. I’m thankful for her many wonderful contributions to this industry”. – Khanya Mzongwana, contributing editor

"Philippa Cheifitz was a recognisable name in my household for many, many years. I remember poring over her recipes in Femina and House and Leisure magazines long before I ever entered the world of food media, and still have many of her cookbooks in my arsenal. She really was a pioneer in the South African food media industry – testament to her being the inaugural food editor at TASTE – and she was extremely kind and supportive to many of us who looked up to her. I am so sad to hear of her passing, but I know her legacy will live on in kitchens around the country for a long time to come". – Raphaela Frame-Tolmie, Woolworths senior public relations manager