How Thandiswa Mazwai turned Lorna Maseko’s chicken feet dish into a cherished kitchen artwork

​We all love beautiful art. The kind that stops you mid-scroll. The kind that feels personal, familiar and rooted in everyday life.

Sometimes art hangs in galleries with long titles and quiet rooms. Sometimes it lives on a kitchen wall and celebrates something as ordinary and joyful as a meal.

That is the magic of storytelling through creativity. It can begin with a laugh, grow into a memory and end up framed as a tribute to a moment that meant something real.

South African creatives are well-versed in this language. They know that culture lives in what we eat, what we share and what we choose to celebrate.

South African singer Thandiswa Mazwai recently had the internet floored when she showed off her painting, courtesy of Lorna Maseko. The celebrity chef’s viral gourmet chicken feet dish has resurfaced after an X user reshared a picture of it.

“Y’all remember this (laughing face emojis),” wrote @Hlela_Lulubel in the caption.

Mazwai reposted the tweet with the words, “So much that my sister @nomisupasta made me a painting of it. It’s hanging in my kitchen.”

X users had a field day in the comments. Many laughed. Others could not believe that someone would turn a plate of chicken feet into wall art.

The reactions ranged from playful disbelief to full appreciation of the humour and the originality behind the idea. 

Mazwai then posted the painting to prove that she was telling the truth. The artwork shows the dish in detail and carries the same spirit that made the original meal trend online.

She later shared that the painting was a birthday gift that she received last year, which made the story even more personal.

When asked why the dish deserved to be turned into a painting, Mazwai explained that it came from genuine love for the meal and for the person who painted it.

“Because I loved the plate so much and she is a painter… she says she laughed the whole time she was painting it! It took her a couple of days… just laughing uncontrollably at night while the kids were sleeping! Right @nomisupasta?”

The moment has since become a reminder of how creativity works in real life. It is not always serious. It is not always polished. Sometimes it is playful, emotional and rooted in friendship.