From Heritage to Haute Cuisine: The New SA Table Takes the Stage at The Good Life Show

The Good Life Show Johannesburg returns to the Sandton Convention Centre from 18 to 20 September 2026, just in time for Heritage Month, with a culinary programme built around indigenous ingredients, heritage recipes and contemporary technique.. At its centre, the IMBO Theatre of Taste brings together chefs, food scholars, pastry specialists and a mixologist. Together they make a persuasive case that South Africa’s most interesting cooking starts with what grows on its own soil.

What’s Really on the Menu

Amaranth and bambara groundnuts are not what most Johannesburg diners expect to see at a food show in Sandton. That is exactly why their place on this year’s programme matters. At The Good Life Show, the conversation has moved on from novelty. The focus now is on provenance, knowledge and the economics of eating well.

The IMBO Theatre of Taste is where that thinking comes together. Over three days, visitors can watch live demonstrations and gastronomic showcases, or join hands on masterclasses. Each session is designed to send people home with new techniques and a fresh approach to their own kitchens.

The Case for Indigenous Food

The strongest thread in the line-up is a renewed respect for African food systems. African Marmalade, founded by Siphiwe Sithole, is working to bring underused crops back into modern cooking. Its argument links heritage to sustainability and economic empowerment. Bonolo Mataboge, known as Miss B The Most, adds to that conversation with her work sharing indigenous agricultural and food knowledge across generations, and with her view that this knowledge can strengthen both rural and urban economies.

Chef Gregory Henderson approaches the subject from the wild. His Wild Food Revolution, started during the pandemic, is grounded in foraging and conservation. It explores how wild resources can help regenerate ecosystems and communities while introducing diners to the flavours of the South African landscape.

From the Bushveld to the Plate

The same philosophy shapes Chef Vusi Mbatha’s work. He is Executive Chef of Kruger Shalati, Kruger Station and Kruger Untamed, and his Kruger to Fork approach puts indigenous ingredients, local producers and sustainable cooking at the centre of the menu. It is a reminder that South Africa’s natural heritage can inform gastronomy as seriously as any European tradition.

Chef Wandi of Les Creatifs Restaurant takes a more experimental route. His masterclass looks at African inspired cooking through an avant garde lens, with an emphasis on technical precision and a willingness to challenge long held ideas of what African cuisine can be.

Precision, Pastry and the Professional Kitchen

Fine dining is well represented too. Chef Katlego Mlambo trained at the Silwood School of Cookery, is Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff and serves as a MasterChef South Africa judge. He brings 15 years of experience alongside some of the country’s leading chefs, and his sessions offer a view of the discipline behind contemporary cooking.

Pastry gets its own moment through Jared Melamed of La Tarte, whose demonstrations focus on the craft needed to turn simple ingredients into intricate creations. At the bar, Roxanne Read draws on 17 years of bartending, a career that has taken her from Melville to the Caribbean. Her rum focused mixology masterclass covers spirits, cocktails and professional technique.

Good Food for Everyday Tables

The programme also recognises that most cooking happens at home, on a weeknight, for a family. Chef Naledi, a culinary consultant and educator, shows how everyday ingredients can produce nutritious meals that taste good. Rea Mokoko, known as ReaTheCookingDietitian, is a registered dietitian, a mother of three and dietitian for Mamelodi Sundowns, and she makes a practical case for healthy eating that does not sacrifice flavour.

Heritage cooking gets a similarly accessible treatment. Solina Naidoo, founder of the award winning spice brand Perima’s Kitchen, created an all in one masala concept that simplifies Durban inspired cooking. Chef Zanele van Zyl, appearing through Cooking with Zanele and Spekko, is the author of three cookbooks published by Penguin Random House and is known for recipes people actually recreate at home.

Investing in the Next Generation

Beyond the demonstrations, the programme looks ahead. Tshepo Pitjeng, founder and director of 411 Culinary School, puts culinary education and skills development in the spotlight. That matters in a country where hospitality remains one of the more promising routes into skilled employment.

Guiding audiences through it all is Mpho Sithole, the journalist, news anchor and entrepreneur who serves as official MC of the IMBO Theatre of Taste. She brings more than two decades of experience across television, radio and print.

A Brand Partnership Built on Access

IMBO, the PepsiCo brand behind the theatre, sees the partnership as an extension of its own positioning. “IMBO as a brand is all about giving people the edge through Every Day Good Eating,” says Sharu Sobie, Marketing Manager at PepsiCo South Africa. “It has been wonderful partnering with The Good Life Show to bring education and inspiration to people in a really engaging way.”

The alignment makes sense. The show’s approach centres on making good food accessible and encouraging people to try unfamiliar ingredients, which gives a brand like IMBO a natural role rather than a purely commercial one.

The Flavour of Home Ground

What stands out about this year’s IMBO Theatre of Taste is not any single name on the programme. It is the shared belief running through it. Indigenous crops, wild ingredients, spice traditions and professional technique are presented as parts of one national cuisine. For a Johannesburg audience used to looking abroad for culinary cues, the more compelling story may be the one unfolding closer to home.

The Good Life Show Johannesburg takes place from 18 to 20 September 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre.