Johannesburg - Chef Siyabonga Ngwenya, 29, overcame the adversity of losing his job by starting his own eatery, Yummy Thingz, in Rockville.
Ngwenya said he was stressed about job hunting when the idea came about that gave rise to a lucrative business.
“After being retrenched in June 2020, I was depressed for almost a month. I was stressed, wondering how I would pay my bills and look after my mother,” he said.
“I decided, like many other people, to cook as a way to destress and pass time. I then decided to post pictures of food I made at home and during private events. That’s when people started asking how they could get my food.”
Ngwenya said he got the idea after receiving a lot of feedback on social media – people wanted to know how to order his dishes and where to buy them. That’s when he realised he was onto something.
“It was when I posted my pictures on Twitter and other spaces and my pictures went viral that I got the courage to start. The reception was overwhelming. People wanted to place their orders immediately,” he said.
He said it took him two months to get started because he was afraid the venture would fail. However, he overcame his fear and started preparing the orders in his kitchen at home.
The young chef said he did not need capital while he was working from home, as people pre-ordered and he used that money to buy stock.
His friends helped with deliveries. In October, though, after two months of operating, he had to stop as he could not meet the demand.
“After the two months of working from my kitchen the demand was getting too high. I couldn’t service everyone and I didn’t have the right equipment to meet the demand. My home appliances even stopped working properly as they were being overused,” said Ngwenya. He took that time to think of a better way to meet the demand. That’s when he knew he needed to open an eatery.
He and friends Tebogo Moerane and Keoagile Makate found the place in Rockville where he had previously hosted an event, and the owner agreed to rent the premises to him.
“My friends came to the rescue and helped me find a place to open the eatery. We had previously hosted an event and the owner knew my products. Tebogo provided me with the capital and Keoagile does our branding,” said Ngwenya.
Ngwenya opened Yummy Things on December 24 last year.
“The place was so packed, I was immensely grateful,” he said.
The business has been thriving since. He has hired two additional staff members to help on weekends.
Ngwenya said the eatery’s name was inspired by the comments left by people on social media, such as “this food looks yummy all the time”.
He hopes to expand his business.
“I would like to open other 100% black-owned franchises around Soweto and nationwide, where I would hire other chefs and graduate chefs looking for employment and experience.
“I look at my life now and I am grateful that I lost my job at that time, for I wouldn’t have been able to find my passion and create employment for others. I believe it was a blessing in disguise – God’s plan,” he said.
The Star