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Whilst there’s no denying his talent, he’s the first to tell you that the only way to get anywhere in life is through hard work. And this man has worked. Mlambo began his culinary career under the tutelage of South Africa's finest, the likes of Luke Dale Roberts, and John Shuttleworth of Rust en Vrede; he also took up positions at La Colombe and The Roundhouse before making a name for himself on home soil as head chef of The Marabi Club.
The fruits of all that labour taste very sweet right now. Mlambo is the new judge on MasterChef South Africa, the Executive Sous Chef at Flames at Four Seasons The Westcliff, and he’s just signed on to be one of the ambassadors of a very prestigious alcohol brand (we can’t say which). Life is good.
But getting here has been one heck of a journey.
In 2022, Mlambo packed up his life, bid farewell to South Africa and headed to London to take up a position at the renowned Kudu restaurant. For Mlambo, that was it, there was no turning back. He was wholly focused and determined to make it big, his sights set firmly on a Michelin star. On paper, it was a dream come true.
But then reality hit. Hard. Mlambo tells us, “I’m not scared of hard work, but London is a different animal, I really had to humble myself.” He was working day and night, commuting an hour and half to and from the restaurant, trying desperately to make things work, and in his free moments doing his best to maintain a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend back in South Africa. It all became too much. He found himself disheartened and quite depressed, and he realised that perhaps this wasn't for him, and that he had to make a change. Mlambo tells us earnestly, “I think my time in London within that year was wild, I went through everything, and I think it’s made me a better person. I found out who I was.”
Mlambo made the difficult decision to leave Kudu, but was tormented by the idea of returning to South Africa and what people would say. He felt like he’d failed, which was a hard pill to swallow.
On returning he was set on getting straight back into a kitchen, perhaps in some way to feel a sense of moving forward, to continue where he'd left off, but when opportunities presented themselves he felt undecided and torn, quickly realising he didn't want to do just anything, that he needed to strive for something new and challenging. He needed time to reflect, to explore what this might be. So with the blessing of his girlfriend, he took a four-month sabbatical and fell in love with food again: he cooked, he went to restaurants, he rested… he pressed pause. Mlambo smiles, “I am so very thankful to my partner Esther…for really allowing me the time to rebuild my confidence.”
And then, when the time was right, the stars aligned and he got a phone call from Four Seasons The Westcliff. They were keen for him to come on board. He liked the idea and met with Executive Chef Wesli Jacobs who gave Mlambo the nod. And what a team they've put together. Mlambo says he loves working with Jacobs and adds, “We’re young, we’re arrogant, we want to shake things up.” He laughs and admits that it’s easier said than done, and no small feat.
We ask him how he plans to ruffle feathers, he laughs and says by bringing a "Katlego flare" to the menu. He sees the potential in Flames to be one of the dining destinations in the city, where you can go on a culinary roller-coaster ride. “I want to make exciting food. I want people to drive from Pretoria for the pap and vleis dish.” What pap and vleis dish? We’ll get to that in a minute.
We ask him about Flames Restaurant and how he and Chef Jacobs are integrating live fire into their menu, Mlambo tells us, “Fire is an African television. It’s the one thing where you don’t have to mess about: flames, smoke, and heat. It needs to be like the rainbow nation: cheeky, aggressive, flavourful, and it has to be exciting. South African food is about story – ubuntu – it has to have a soul. It has to have body.”
And with that, we’re presented with the pap and vleis dish, Chef Mlambo’s signature, he explains, “It’s pap 'n' vleis that went to private school.” Mlambo chars the pap to bring out a caramelised nuttiness, then adds flavoured cream, parmesan, and goat’s cheese. For the ‘vleis’ he chose to use lamb because you can’t beat it in terms of flavour, the loin in particular, then sous vide it with a light smoke to finish. To bring it all together he had to add chakalaka but with a fine-dining twist: carrot puree with a touch of curry, curried pickled carrots, and carrots cooked in duck fat finished with a North African spice. And to finish, a citrussy coriander mojo. The verdict? Wow. Let’s just say it’s worth a visit to Flames just to try this dish: rich, earthy, fragrant, vibrant, balanced… and wonderfully South African.
As we get stuck in, we ask Mlambo about MasterChef South Africa and he tells us, “I am still pinching myself.” Mlambo auditioned for the last season as a main judge but didn’t land the role. He did however get invited on as a guest judge, and he set out to impress.
As luck, or in this case, hard work and perseverance would have it, a year later Mlambo was offered a seat at the main judging table of MasterChef South Africa, while everything was happening with The Four Seasons. Mlambo tells us how phenomenal and supportive Four Seasons has been; he’s been able to have his cake and eat it too.
So he’s been up and down between Joburg and Cape Town, between film sets and hotel kitchens, Mlambo reflects, “The journey was amazing, everyone was so supportive: Justine Drake, Zola Nene, the crew, the director, the producers… I was super nervous the first couple of episodes, but then I learnt to just relax and be myself.”
He’s loved every second of MasterChef but tells us that being a chef is his first love, “I would never trade it for anything in the world, I love being in the kitchen, I love the rush, when things work out or don’t, when a dish comes together… and that’s what drives me."
They shot two seasons of MasterChef South Africa, one with amateur chefs and one with celebrities, the first is 20 episodes and the second is a six-episode special. He tells us, “It was hardcore, and you're only as good as your last show. It took a lot, and it was so inspiring to see the contestants take this gamble, taking six weeks out of their lives, leaving their families and problems at home to take this chance to win a million rand and the title of 'Master Chef'. And to see how they grew, it gives me goosebumps.”
In many ways, he hopes to take a piece of what he experienced at MasterChef and bring it back to The Four Seasons, in Mlambo’s words, “Some things happen for a reason.”
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