Talented chef reshapes quality dining in Joburg

Karabo Molatsana represents a new generation of South African chefs reshaping what local dining looks and tastes like.

Driven by a deep appreciation for indigenous flavours and a flair for global cuisine, he transforms dishes into refined, contemporary meals that feel both rooted and refreshingly modern.

His culinary journey has been shaped by some of Gauteng’s leading kitchens, including the Riverside Sun Resort Hotel, Kream at Mall of Africa and Gemelli in Bryanston, where he served as executive sous chef and honed a style that balances technique, creativity and a strong sense of place.

Now a sous chef at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Molatsana, 33, continues to build his reputation as one of Johannesburg’s rising culinary talents — committed to reimagining comfort food and helping to define the future of local dining.

“I had grown tired of restaurant hours and decided that it was time for a change and to do something that I hadn’t done in years,” Molatsana says.

“I went back to my roots and where I started off — in a hotel — and I’m loving every moment of it.”

Born in Mamelodi, Pretoria, Molatsana discovered his passion for cooking at an early age, inspired by a school career day that first opened his eyes to the possibility of becoming a chef.

“I had wanted to become a chef since grade 9, so during career week a chef came to our school, and he blew me away with his presentation. He was telling us you can go abroad to work and about different flavour combinations. I’m a big guy, so I love food and as soon as he said ‘flavour combinations’, I was already in. He seemed to be enjoying what he was doing, and I wanted that in my life,” he says.

“Even though I knew I wanted to become a chef, my parents wanted me to go into something that’s going to grow me as a person, so I pursued financial accounting after high school.”

But he dropped out in the first year when he realised his calling lay not in finance but in the kitchen.

“It was a point in life where I was not a happy chap. But my parents realised it, and they were like, ‘Let’s give this culinary dream a chance’. I then went to the Capital Hotel School in Pretoria.”

Molatsana describes local cuisine as a seamless blend of bold, deeply nostalgic flavours – food that is simple yet complex and rooted in memory, culture and the feeling of home.

“South African cuisine is very interesting with bold flavours. Take, for example, my mom’s chicken with onions and green pepper. The dish blows me away because it has just a few ingredients but tastes so good. I believe with enough support and courage from chefs dwelling in the cuisine, it could be one of the greatest,” he says.

My signature dish, Seafood di Maria, comes from my love of pasta that grew on me while at Gemelli

—  Karabo Molatsana

“My signature dish, Seafood di Maria, comes from my love of pasta that grew on me while at Gemelli. It’s a delicate yet vibrant seafood pasta cooked in a rich, authentic Napolitana sauce that balances the sweetness of the tomatoes with the brininess of the ocean.”

And here it is:

Seafood di Maria

Ingredients

For the seafood and pasta

• 500g linguine or fettuccine
• 250g prawns, peeled and deveined
• 250g calamari rings, cleaned
• 500g fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded

For the Seafood di Maria sauce

1. 400g canned, crushed tomatoes (or high-quality passata)
2. 60g unsalted butter
3. 30ml extra virgin olive oil
4. 25g garlic, finely minced
5. 120ml dry white wine
6. 60ml heavy cream
7. 10g fresh basil, torn (for the Napolitana base)
8. 15g fresh parsley, chopped
9. 3g red pepper flakes
10. salt and black pepper to taste

Method

• Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 100ml of the pasta water before draining.
• In a large, deep saucepan, heat 15ml of olive oil. Sear the prawns and calamari for about 2 minutes. Remove the prawns and calamari and set aside.
• In the same saucepan, add the white wine and the mussels. Cover and steam for 3–4 minutes until they open.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and set them aside with the prawns. Discard any that don’t open and keep the wine/mussel liquid in the pan.
• Add the remaining olive oil and minced garlic to the wine in the skillet. Sauté for 1 minute.
• Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the torn basil. Simmer on medium-low for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the tomato acidity mellows.
• Stir in the butter and the cream. Whisk gently until the sauce turns a creamy orange-red. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat every strand. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
• Fold in the prawns, calamari, and mussels (and any juices they’ve released) back into the sauce. Heat for 1 minute just to warm the seafood through.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.