S2-44. Unexplored Cape Town - Dennis Molewa

If you think you know Cape Town's food scene, this conversation might make you think again. In this episode of A Table in the Corner, I sit down with Dennis Molewa, founder of Unexplored Cape Town, whose work takes visitors beyond the city's celebrated restaurants into the cafés, markets and neighbourhood kitchens where many of the city's brown and immigrant communities eat every day.

Dennis explains how growing up in multicultural Frankfurt, working in hospitality and later settling in South Africa led him to explore the city through its food. We discuss Malay and Xhosa restaurants, Somali cafés, Ethiopian eteries, West African kitchens, the remarkable food market around the Bellville Transport Interchange and why so much of Cape Town's culinary life remains invisible to both tourists and many locals.

Our conversation also looks at food tourism, heritage and the role restaurants play in preserving culture. Dennis argues that tourism can be a force for inclusion by supporting small food businesses and creating opportunities for people whose stories are rarely told. It's a thoughtful discussion about identity, migration, public space and why some of the city's most rewarding meals are found well beyond the familiar dining guides.

• www.rwm2012.com
• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
• Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay