South Africa’s Trailblazing Black Food Writer Dies Of Coronavirus

SOUTH Africa’s trailblazing Black food writer Dorah Sitole’s latest cookbook was widely hailed in December as a moving chronicle of her journey from humble township cook to famous, well-traveled author.

The country’s new Black celebrity chefs lined up to praise her as a mentor who encouraged them to succeed by highlighting what they knew best: tasty African food.

Now they are mourning Sitole’s death this month from COVID-19. She was 65.

In “40 Years of Iconic Food,” Sitole engagingly described how she quietly battled South Africa’s racist apartheid system to find appreciation, and a market, for African cuisine. Her book became a holiday bestseller, purchased by Blacks and whites alike.

Sitole’s career started in 1980 at the height of apartheid when she was hired by a canned foods company to promote sales of their products by giving cooking classes in Black townships. She found that she loved the work.