“I gave every family recipe a creative twist, and my ingenuity was consistently met with gratitude, love, and encouragement”

As my nickname suggests, I am a true foodie and I love cooking.

I grew up in Cape Town in the 1970ies, the middle child in a single mother-run household of four. My brothers and I constantly pestered our mom, always hungry, always asking for more. In my childhood food was not a treat it was a necessary function to keep going. It wasn’t easy.

We weren’t ever spoilt for choice, our upbringing taught us to appreciate what we had. We were encouraged to live and make the most of every moment. I’ve carried these invaluable lessons with me on my culinary journey, from exploring and savouring the diverse flavours of our beautiful South African nature and fauna to indulging in the exotic cuisines of Spain, Scandinavia, Thailand, and most recently, the Spice Islands of Zanzibar.

Each culinary tradition presents a range of unique local tastes that add excitement in the kitchen.

“My intention was simple but clear in my mind: to create the perfect accompaniment for all my meals.”

I distinctly remember sitting in our small catering kitchen at the Soweto Gold Brewery in Orlando West Soweto (a lot later in life), thinking about how so many of our customers were adding imported hot sauces to their food and how too many hot sauces tend to overpower food and take away the beauty of its original flavour. The idea for Soweto Hot Sauce was born. My intention was simple but clear in my mind: to create the perfect accompaniment for any meal. Something that would delicately enhance the flavours with just the right amount of heat.

After the first couple of kitchen trials, I became obsessed with flavour and just the right heat.

I refined the chilli mash blend, balancing the red chillies by introducing the spirited flavour of jalapenos. As family and friends would gather to share stories and laughter over a meal, I would bring out my latest batch for them to taste. After several recrafts and reviews, we finally did it. We had the perfect balance of heat and flavour.

“We’ve had to move out of our simple Orlando West kitchen, but the same passion we crafted with back then, we craft with now.”

This was the first sample of what would soon become Soweto Original Hot Sauce. This sauce was perfect on everything from mogodu to oysters. It felt like the right time to let the world in on my saucy secret. We started pretty small, selling only to our neighbours but soon, I couldn’t believe how fast our sales were increasing.

We’ve had to move out of our simple Orlando West kitchen to meet demand, but the same samll-batch passion we crafted with back then, we craft with now. The mission hasn’t changed, if anything we’ve only opened our ears to more reviews. Many of you have asked for more heat, so here’s a little secret you didn’t hear from me. We may or may not be amplifying the heat in our next release. It could be a limited-edition Soweto Gogo’s Ghost Chilli Sauce, in homage to my mother. You’ll have to keep your ears to the ground.

 I’m Culinary Carmen, but I often respond to, ‘Fun lovin’ foodie,’ the flavour architect of Soweto Hot Sauces. I knew you’d love the sauce, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this much love and support.

Thank you for trusting our brand and allowing it to be a part of your family meals and fun nights with friends. In return, I’ll keep crafting more flavours to build our range!