The Heritage Series: Meet Charmaine Govender-Koen of Charm’s Kitchen
After winning the hearts of local food lovers as a MasterChef South Africa contestant, Charmaine Govender-Koen has branched out into catering and interactive cooking classes at her Cape Town-based food business, Charm’s Kitchen, all while honouring the Indian food traditions she’s inherited from her mother.
If you feel like you’ve seen Charmaine Govender-Koen before, you’re probably right. Cape Town-based Charmaine won the hearts of food enthusiasts and fellow cooks as a contestant in the fourth season of M-Net’s MasterChef South Africa. Born and raised in Verulam, north of Durban, Charmaine has embraced her Indian heritage fully in her cooking practice, which includes hosting educational workshops, team-building exercises and interactive cooking classes during which she shares her expertise with others. In addition, Charmaine has taken her passion and literally bottled it in the form of a line of delicious deli products.
Charmaine has always loved to cook, and before her foray into cheffing, had long occupied the hospitality space. “I must mention, I was never a chef,” she says. “I worked in front-of-house positions from 2006 to 2008 in a Florida country club in the US, while I was studying. My last position before starting my business was food-and-beverage manager at 15 on Orange Hotel in Cape Town.”
View this post on Instagram
Find the recipe for Charmaine's lamb chops chutney here.
Charmaine started Charm’s Kitchen in 2020, with the intention of bringing Durban flavours to Capetonian doorsteps, and creating accessible and affordable meals. She would be stationed at Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront, operating at the demo kitchen. She has since closed her outlet, but continues to make use of the space to host her workshops. Through Charm’s Kitchen, she inspires home cooks and food enthusiasts to explore new culinary horizons while celebrating the rich traditions of Indian cuisine.
What significance does Heritage Day hold for you? Does it influence your approach to cooking and menu creation?
Heritage Day is such a fantastic way to celebrate our diverse cultures. In my multiracial family, we embrace Heritage Day as a family day. Growing up this meant having a “spicy braai”, with lots of Indian music, and family and neighbours present. My husband is Afrikaans, my brother-in-law is Xhosa, and as a rainbow family, we create a culture of togetherness and do what we love most – cook up a storm. Our ideal Heritage Day table includes braaied dishes, lamb breyani (my favourite), melktert and umngqusho. In general, my heritage definitely influences my approach to menu creation, as using my mom’s techniques and recipes is the base of my cooking.
View this post on Instagram
Which South African foods evoke the strongest sense of nostalgia for you, and what memories do they conjure?
I love a bunny chow! It’s messy and delicious, and it brings back memories of when I was in high school, sharing with my best friend. Also, there’s a doughnut that my mother made when we were kids, called gulgula. It’s a quick dough – no yeast – and it’s deep-fried until crispy and tossed in sugar.
Can you share a particular dish or ingredient that connects you to your heritage, and explain its significance in your culinary practice?
Lamb chops chutney was only served at special occasions like birthdays or weddings when I was growing up. It wasn’t something you ate all the time. My mom’s recipe is my way of connecting with childhood memories.
Find the recipe for Charmaine's lamb chops chutney here.
How do you balance preserving traditional recipes with incorporating modern techniques or innovations in your cooking?
I think retaining the traditional recipes’ integrity requires a thoughtful approach. We try to study the recipe and make use of modern techniques like sous-vide appropriately.
In what ways do you think food can help celebrate and preserve heritage, and how do you see your role as a chef contributing to this effort?
Food plays a significant role in preserving heritage and traditional cuisine really helps to preserve cultural identity. I’ve started to record all my nostalgic recipes to pass down to my baby girl. Food storytelling is my favourite, celebrating community and family stories about food through the generations, the struggles and the triumphs. As a chef, I want to innovate traditional dishes, and make traditional cuisine relevant and exciting for new generations, preserving classic recipes while creating new dishes that honour our heritage.
Follow Charms kitchen on @charmskitchenza on Instagram.
Comments