Taste of Africa

If you visit Ubizane Wildlife Reserve you will be enchanted by the flavours of the delicious Pan-African cuisine that we serve.  For dinner we serve a variety of mouth watering dishes while the fireplace lights up the restaurant with a warm romantic glow.  

This is the scene guests will be welcomed on when stepping into our dining area.  But what goes on behind the buffet table? Take a sneak peek into our kitchen...

The sound of pots boiling, knives chopping and the oven pulsing as it heats savoury and sweet treats.  The smell of freshly baked bread and aromas of spices and herbs fill the air while friendly faces welcome you into their hearty work space.

 Under the leadership of our Food & Beverage Manager, Martin Beyleveld, the chefs create appetizing Pan-African dishes with fresh products from the African soil.  At Ubizane we employ from our area in an effort to uplift the surrounding community.

In the kitchen the first face you will see behind our stove is our big strong, Elias Thusi. He has been at Ubizane for about 18 years which has not stopped him from losing his passion for this reserve.  With his wit it is hard not to walk away with a smile after speaking to Mr. Thusi.

 Sibongile  Msimango, or also fondly known as ‘Sponge’ by the staff, has been baking the most delicious treats for over three years, sharing her wealthy knowledge about cooking homemade African dishes with the newer staff.  Thandi Zungu introduced her skills to our flamboyant team almost two years ago and has never disappointed at Ubizane, making scrumptious food, grabbing guest’s attention.  Another kind hearted chef that you will have the pleasure of meeting is Zandile Myeni.  Zandile has been cooking up a storm for two years with flavours bursting from the pots and pans on the stove.  These three ladies are the sweethearts behind the kitchen doors that will make you feel like you have stepped into your mother’s kitchen.

After walking through the kitchen meeting everyone, you hear a man singing and suddenly Martin says “Someone switched on Goody FM again!”  Then you realize the singing is coming from a smiling man, always happy, Goodman “Goody” Thabethe. Staff members at Ubizane know Goody for his humoristic personality and smiling face while singing his favourite gospel song when cooking or cleaning the kitchen.

It is never a dull moment in our kitchen with the bubbly personalities of our kitchen staff that we love so dear!And as a tribute to all of them we have decided to add a page to our blog where you can find stories from the kitchen and recipes that we would like to share with you! Read the latest ‘What’s Cooking’ stories/recipes on this link: http://www.ubizane.blogspot.com/p/whats-cooking.html

Barn Owl chicks rehabilitating at Ubizane

On Thursday morning the Ubizane team found four Barn Owl chicks in one of the Tree Lodge rooms.  Our first instinct was to search the area for signs of entry to ensure their mother hadn’t been entering and giving them food.  Unfortunately we realised that these chicks were placed there by their mother by entering in a gap that was closed a few days ago.  Sadly this meant that these poor chicks have been without food for almost three days!  Three of the chicks are about five weeks old with the smallest only about two weeks old.  We suspect there were two batches of eggs that hatched because of two empty eggs found in the nest and the varying sizes of the chicks.  The Ubizane team have decided to bring these chicks back to health until they are ready to survive in the wild.  We feed them raw meat every day to ensure they become stronger.

One of the older chicks and the baby chick being held by a staff member

 

Feeding raw mince to the smallest of the lot

Ubizane staff feeding the little ones

It is hard to believe that these fluffy little fragile creatures grow into the beautiful Barn Owl, one of the most gracious birds of prey.  We are excited to keep you posted on the progress!