Food - The Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival

CULINARY THEME: NGUNI FOODWAYS

The LUJU Culinary Program celebrates the spirit of African gastronomy, a space where heritage, creativity, and collaboration meet. It elevates Eswatini’s culinary industry by promoting excellence, capacity building, and indigenous food advocacy. Through curated demos, workshops, and chef–farmer collaborations, the program showcases regional flavours and artisanal craftsmanship, creating vibrant opportunities for culinary entrepreneurs to grow their brands.

The themed Luju Culinary programme lies at the heart of the festival line up. Held in The Buzz amphitheatre space, it consists of demonstrations, masterclasses and workshops conducted by celebrated chefs and indigenous knowledge keepers, who share innovative techniques and recipes that highlight heritage, lifestyle and sustainable practices.

The LUJU Culinary Programme celebrates the spirit of African gastronomy, a space where heritage, creativity, and collaboration meet. It elevates Eswatini’s culinary industry by promoting excellence, capacity building, and indigenous food advocacy. Through curated demos, workshops, and chef–farmer collaborations, the program showcases regional flavours and artisanal craftsmanship, creating vibrant opportunities for culinary entrepreneurs to grow their brands. .

The themed Luju Culinary programme lies at the heart of the festival line up. Held in The Buzz amphitheatre space, it consists of demonstrations, masterclasses and workshops conducted by celebrated chefs and indigenous knowledge keepers, who share innovative techniques and recipes that highlight heritage, lifestyle and sustainable practices.

CULINARY THEME: NGUNI FOODWAYS

At the 2026 Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival, we celebrate Nguni Foodways as a living expression of the deep relationship between land, food, culture and community. Rooted in indigenous knowledge, Nguni Foodways reflects centuries of farming, foraging, livestock rearing, fermentation, cooking and food preservation traditions that have shaped life across Southern Africa. More than cuisine, it is a story of identity, resilience and connection, where food serves as both nourishment and a living cultural archive.

LUJU 2026 brings this heritage to life through immersive culinary experiences, storytelling, demonstrations and dialogue that honour ancestral wisdom while showcasing the creativity and innovation of contemporary African food culture.

LUJU FOOD INDABA

The Food Indaba is LUJU’s intellectual and cultural heart which takes place before the Luju Festival weekend. It is an intimate storytelling arena where elders, chefs, and custodians of tradition explore the philosophies and ancestral wisdom behind African cuisine. Through shared stories, live discussions, and tastings of traditional brews and foods, it highlights how knowledge and identity are passed down through the act of cooking and eating.

For sponsors, it offers profound brand alignment with heritage preservation, sustainability, and authentic cultural dialogue, a chance to support the storytelling power of food as legacy. Applications to attend the Luju Food Indaba are now open.

Sous Chef Development Programme 2026

The Sous Chef Development Programme offers four emerging chefs the opportunity to join the official Luju Culinary Production Team, gaining hands-on experience alongside renowned regional chefs while supporting the festival's dynamic culinary programme.

COMPETITION

PICK N PAY Luju Cook-Off

Congratulations to Justina Bain and King Terry for making it to the finals of the Pick N Pay Luju Cook-Off! We look forward to seeing them go head-to-head live at 11am Saturday 1st October in the House On Fire Amphitheatre at the festival. Finalists were selected through a combination of an instore pre-cookoff activation and public voting process on social media.

At the Festival, celebrity food enthusiast Somizi Mhlongo will lead an Afro-Fusion cooking showcase using 100% PnP Luju Pantry ingredients. Drawing inspiration from the celebrity showcase, the finalists will be challenged to recreate the gourmet dish, adding their own African flair, in a bid to win the title of PnP Luju Cook-Off Master Chef. Over E20,000 worth of prizes to be won!

FOOD Programme

FOOD INDABA

The Food Indaba brings together leading voices for two thought-provoking discussions exploring the cultural, ecological and economic significance of Nguni Foodways.

Chef Sive Bhembe (SZ) – Nguni Desserts

Former Luju Farm to Fork Cook Off Competition Winner and Eswatini Chef Sive Bhembe will present an innovative Nguni-inspired dessert demonstration that celebrates indigenous ingredients through contemporary African culinary artistry.

CULINARY DEMOS

Experience immersive culinary demonstrations, botanical workshops, sonic food experiences, Nguni fine dining showcases, ancestral forage and fermentation sessions, Nguni-inspired desserts, brewing masterclasses, sommelier-led tastings, livestock showcases and interactive culinary spaces that celebrate the richness and enduring legacy of Nguni Foodways

Chef Mmabatho Molefe (ZA) – Nguni Fine Dinning

Celebrated South African chef Mmabatho Molefe presents her signature Nguni fine dining experience, reimagining indigenous ingredients and African culinary heritage through contemporary innovation.

Magriza Made Me Cook (ZW/SZ) – Ancestral Forage & Ferments

Heritage chef, filmmaker and cultural archivist Prince Sivalo Mahlangu leads immersive fermentation and ancestral forage sessions, showcasing the richness of Zimbabwean and African indigenous foodways.

Coco & J (ZA) – Afro-fusion Sonic Food Experience

Lifestyle creators Coco & J blend food, music and storytelling into a wholesome Afro Fusion Sonic Food Experience celebrating family, hospitality and meaningful connection.