Khumalo, from rural KwaZulu-Natal, always wanted to be a culinary artist. After some unsatisfying years as a welder, he decided to follow his passion for food. A lack of funds meant studies were out of reach, and his first restaurant job was as a cleaner in a Bedfordview eatery. Armed with determination, Khumalo progressed to waiter, then barman, and, finally, to the kitchen. 

A subsequent diploma in an Intec  College course called Catering and Gourmet Cooking, along with practical experience, gave Khumalo the means to move on to other restaurants and hotels, including the Mount Nelson in Cape Town. “My career really took off when I began networking and taking part in local and international competitions,” says Khumalo. Soon the corporate sector came calling and he took on positions at Vodaworld and the Mercedes Benz head office, before Virgin Atlantic appointed him the Clubhouse Manager and Executive Chef of its First Class lounge at Oliver Tambo International Airport.

His marketing skills came into play when he became the front man for a range of spices called Chef Khumalo’s Africa in a Bottle, available in 11 countries across Europe, and in four American states. His next venture was his own catering company, Asidle, in 2003. The company now employs 15 full time staff members, and as a top runner in Entrepreneur of the Year programmes, it has won healthy financial grants for the development of the company. His regular appearances in the media and his work with international names such as Ainsley Harriott have catapulted him to celebrity status. He has visited 20 countries to promote South African cuisine. Khumalo also runs a culinary school called Culinary Passions School of Hospitality, a training facility in Midrand.