When we gather Part 1: Bukho Dem

Our July 2024 main food feature brings together four impressive individuals to talk about their relationship with and the transformative experience of making, eating and sharing a meal. The conversations are captured in four parts.

To start we speak to farmer, Bukho Dem who describes herself as a nurturer, of people and produce. She runs a thriving agri-business called BSomebodySA in the Western Cape that supplies restaurants such as Dusk in Stellenbosch.

Dem is passionate about curbing hunger and homelessness, and a key aim of her business is making sure that people can grow their own food and move off the streets.

What is important to you about gathering at a table?

A welcoming meal is such an important thing. Maybe it’s a reminder of my days working in tourism, pre-pandemic. Whenever I think of someone coming through my door, I think, “How can I feed them?”

Tell us a food memory?

Eating Stylos [an inexpensive corn chip] and drinking Coke. I experienced homelessness at a stage in my life and this is what I would eat when I got money. The Coke made me feel fuller for longer and the sugar gave me energy. Sometimes I would go to a friend’s house to eat, but this was what I really lived on when I had money for food.

What was the first thing you planted in your garden?

Peppers. I planted them from my kitchen scraps.

What’s the best dish you make?

Chakalaka, using my own, specially grown tomatoes and red peppers.

What food can’t you live without?

Pap, wors, and chakalaka. We will be serving this at my wedding, that’s how much I love it.

Favourite music to cook to?

 Depends on my mood, but I’m an RnB girl at heart. Though I prefer the music of chatting and laughter.

Fanciest veggie that BSomebodySA has produced in the past four years?

Black radish — it was a special request from one of the restaurants we supply and Sis Alakhe grew it. She specialises in radish. There are so many different varietals of radish and we love seeing what we can grow and supply to our different clients.

Do you eat at the restaurants you supply?

Mostly yes, but I haven’t had a chance to visit all of them. I really hope to get the women farmers who grow a lot of the produce to visit these places and see where their work lands up.

What are you most passionate about when it comes to food?

Food security. I have started a five-step mentorship programme to establish the next generation of farmers. It is mainly aimed at unemployed and homeless youth, to encourage and teach them to grow their own food. And tackling food waste. I am currently enrolled in a programme with the University of Finland called “Diet for a Green Planet”, hoping to learn how to address this. @bsomebodysa

• From the July edition of Wanted, 2024.