Delicious dining awaits at

Baobab Ridge

If there's one thing we know how to do well here at Baobab Ridge, it's keeping you from going hungry! Whether it's coffee stops, breakfasts, afternoon teas, sundowners or dinner, we're going to make sure you eat well!

We're blessed with a team of talented ladies in our kitchen who are passionate about creating amazing food to nourish mind, body and soul, using only the freshest and most healthy ingredients we can find. We've even started growing some things ourselves, like the sweet potato our head chef Thelma "Mamma T" Mapinda has tended to lovingly and is now using. 

Along with her fellow chefs Maggie Mapayile, Petunia Mohlili and Cynthia Mathebula, Mamma T is dedicated to making sure every meal, snack or nibble is as sensational as it can be. That means spending a lot of time researching recipes and training as much as possible in not just cooking but also good nutrition and how to cater to often the often challenging dietary requirements of guests.

From learning the art of making sourdough to pulling together wonderful vegetarian and vegan options, gluten and dairy free alternatives, the ladies are constantly finding ways to innovate and take tried and trusted recipes and give them their own personal stamp.

Working closely together helps this process. The entire team at Baobab Ridge operates like an extended family, which is understandable given the amount of time they spend together. So cooking up a storm in the lodge kitchen really is a family affair, with the chefs and their wonderful assistants pulling together to make food magic happen every single day.

Presentation is also a key ingredient that makes dining at Baobab Ridge something special, whether it's the icing sugar pawprints on the Africa-shaped cake tray or the edible flowers that brighten up the salads. After all, we eat with our eyes long before the food hits our stomachs!

Breads, cakes and biscuits are baked fresh from scratch, as are muffins and other sensational goodies that come out of the kitchen door. Maggie is known for her love of baking and we like to think that she'd get a Paul Hollywood handshake any day of the week! Petunia's "secret recipe" chakalaka is also legendary. But for Mamma T the best ingredient in all of the meals prepared in the Baobab Ridge kitchen is good, old-fashioned happiness and a generous dollop of love. 

So the next time you tuck into a fabulous home-made pizza, a ridiculously tasty chocolate brownie, a succulent piece of fillet topped with a mouthwatering red wine jus or a specially prepared vegan curry, you'll know that the ladies in black have pulled out all the stops especially for you! Now that's what we call cooking!