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“Cape Town is a chef’s playground,” says chef, content creator and TV personality Clement Pedro. When he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll likely find him wandering down to Giovanni’s, savouring Cape Malay flavours, enjoying our award-winning wines, or simply soaking in the beauty of the best city on earth.
But for Clement, it’s not just the food or the scenery – it’s the people who truly define Cape Town. It’s the warmth of locals who open their homes, share their family recipes, and embrace one another’s cultures.
We caught up with him to get an inside look into the places and people that make Cape Town so special – from his go-to local chef to his lesser-known facourites you have to try.
Time Out Cape Town: Which Cape Town neighbourhood feels most like “you” right now – and why?
Clement: I’ve been living in the Southern Suburbs for four years, and it has been amazing, to say the least. It’s like the South has an open door policy when it comes to food.
Everyone is ready to tell you a nostalgic story about a dish or ingredient, what they had for dinner, what they’re planning on having for dinner, who’s baking the best croissants in town and who’s brewing what and when.
It’s a foodie haven and beautiful mix of people and cultures, not forgetting the wine farms literally on our door step, the specialty butchers, the markets.
Can you tell I’m obsessed?
What’s the one local ingredient you always have in your kitchen, and how do you use it?
Clement: Without a doubt, rooibos. Besides having it as a tea, I’ve used it to smoke fish and chicken, as an ingredient in marinades, I’ve baked with it, and turned it into so many desserts, like my rooibos sago pudding, the perfect fusion of two local icons.
What's your most nostalgic Cape Town food memory?
Clement: It’s not just a meal or a single moment, but when I was nine, all the cousins stayed over for the week leading up to Christmas, it was a feasting marathon.
We would spend the day collecting fresh mussels from the West Coast while our parents went crayfishing. We would visit farms to collect eggs, butter, and milk, then further inland to collect meat, like lamb for a spit braai.
It was a culinary adventure that couldn’t be bought, and yes, it was the best Christmas ever.
What makes Cape Town’s food scene special, and what do we need to do better?
Clement: Cape Town is a very special place, not just for its food scene, but also geographically, as it's situated where two oceans meet, with hills surrounding the most fertile land, where we farm the best produce in the world.
Because of this, Cape Town is a chef’s playground, with the best seafood, lamb, beef, pork, fruits, and vegetables, but it’s the magic of the people behind this sensational produce that truly are the superstars, and that is what needs to be showcased more.
It’s easy for us to just visit the store for everything we consume, but where’s the fun and memories in that? It’s about getting people out of their norm and getting them face-to-face with the heroes that feed our city and country.
Who's a Cape Town chef or cook, past or present, who deserves more shine?
Clement: There are so many talented chefs in our city, but for me, Chef Peter Duncan is flying the South African flag high, putting our food on global watch.
It's not just his skill and flair that he presents with every dish, it's also the story he tells with them.
Like his viskop dish, which is something I grew up eating. He’s truly showcasing our food to the world, and they’re quite literally eating it up.
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