by Stephen Hickmore | Feb 10, 2026 | Featured, Focus, News, Podcasts
The Smell of the Storeroom: Why Every Hotel Dry Goods Store Smells Exactly the Same There is a smell that lives quietly behind the swing doors of every hotel kitchen on earth. You don’t find it in the lobby. Guests never mention it on TripAdvisor. But any chef,...
by Stephen Hickmore | Feb 5, 2026 | Featured, Hospitality Opinion Blog, News, Podcasts
Walk into any professional kitchen and you’ll see the uniform straight away: chef jacket, apron, non-slip shoes… and, increasingly, tattoos. Once upon a time, a tattoo in the kitchen meant you’d probably done time somewhere rough – either in life or in a Paris...
by Stephen Hickmore | Feb 4, 2026 | Featured, News, Podcasts
South Africa’s farm to fork chain is changing fast. By Omelele (Omie) Mmbo, FNB: Business Development Head| SME This article explores the importance of Farm to Fork initiatives in today’s food industry. From primary producers to township takeaways and boutique...
by Stephen Hickmore | Nov 13, 2025 | Featured, Hospitality Opinion Blog, News, Podcasts
“It’s not the Critic that counts; not the person who points out how the strong person stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the person in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…” The famous ‘Man in...
by External Contributor | Oct 8, 2025 | Featured, News, Podcasts
The Evolution of Kitchen Leadership The image of the old-school chef is iconic: authoritative, demanding, and sometimes intimidating. For decades, kitchens around the world ran on a strict hierarchy, where respect was earned through discipline and survival of the...
