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[zoooi]

LEONIE, NOVEMBER 2016

[foodforflorence]

A CANDID ACCOUNT OF GOING DOMESTIC

Food for Florence is for the most part a pretty lifestyle blog, but even I am struggling to relate to the still life sometimes, because settling down is not for sissies. There is no prescribed way to ease into domestic life, into a role where watering the garden is more imperative than watering your throat (from the inside) and where commitment phobia prevails in deciding whether to get a dog. I started Food for Florence to help me unpack and document this transition in my life and as yet have only shown the picturesque parts also but neglected sharing an honest account of the guts it takes to follow through on our convictions. 

Before moving to Muizenberg I lived in Mitte, a vibrant suburb of Berlin, and before that, London. I wrote a weekly column for GQ called City of Pretty - based on my encounters and experiences as a fashion model and general observer of peculiar characters. Based on my current lifestyle, this here piece should be titled City of Sleepy. I went from big town feeling kind-of-cool, to small town a little lonely. I blinked and suddenly I was neck deep in a village where footwear is non-compulsory – although neither is it in Berlin...

Alex and I decided to move back to Cape Town after a year of long-distance between London and Berlin, and as being apart can often have effect, we romanticised getting stuck into domestic life and crafting our happy forever after. We bought the most enchanted house we could find - built by Florence Mclaren on the Muizenberg hill at the beginning of the 1900s. It presented itself as the perfect first fixer-upper for Alex the architect, while I envisioned becoming an avid gardener (having never displayed any green fingers or even interest in the subject before) to transform the 1300sqm + of neglected soil into an oasis of indigenous fauna. For a week we sat on our haunches, chipping away decades-old linoleum in the kitchen exposing fossilised worms and other nasties, discovered mounds of mould in every corner, rats in the roof and room after room covered in stained carpet (and the dead stuff that lay beneath) until our hands were blistered and tension was tight. Finally we agreed to get in a contractor.

Alex took to Project Muizenberg with more ease because he naturally has more physical strength than I do, but also because he is the big-picture purveyor in our relationship. Me on the other hand, detail fanatic, am still coming to terms with my new surroundings, all the while working of embodying that domestic goddess so I can play to some of my strengths. 

The pesky thing about being an idealist is that one has no choice but to keep the belief alive. And so we find ourselves a year later, moving out and back in after trial separations, still designing the perfect kitchen, still no alterations, still no curtains, still a little overwhelmed, but living a life that epitomises freedom of all the senses. The food for Florence is the love we pour into this Grande Dame of a house to rejuvenate the dream its founder had in building for herself a refuge after her husband was swallowed up by war.

Everything on this blog is a complete labour of love – a genuine expression of me growing into and accepting the challenge head on. Though the food I advocate is my greatest passion, I don’t want to spoon-feed you illusions of a picture perfect life, because what's aspiring about that? I want Food for Florence to explore the hurdles as well as the inebriating joy of taking ownership and in growing older, the quality of life we choose for ourselves. 

[foodforflorence]

BUTTERNUT WITH QUINOA AND FENNEL

Level: Easy / Prep time: 1 hour 

I am not a vegetarian, but somehow I find plant and grain based recipes more appealing to prepare. It's also easier to make up components as I go along. There is something about the preparation of meat that I find a little daunting, and I quite enjoy the delegating of meat to the man in the house (I love me some gender roles - naat). Today is Meatfree Monday - where we eat clean to give our bodies and the planet a rest. This recipe is fantastic for digestion and cleansing of the system after a weekend of neglect, indulgence and low will-power (we all know the week really starts on Tuesday)...

I am aware of the recent controversy surrounding my beloved quinoa, and as yet I am undecided on my moral standpoint of whether I am able to give it up all together. I have cut down on my consumption, however its nutritional value is too significant to exclude all together (especially for vegans and vegetarians). This recipe has only half a cup of quinoa for protein, and the bulk of the salad is made up by roasted butternut and fennel. If you want to cut out quinoa all together, buckwheat is a great substitute. 

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut, skinned and diced (1 cup = 1/3 daily Vit C, high in fiber, regulates blood sugar)

1/2 cup of red or white quinoa (superfood: omega 3, zinc, magnesium, potassium, protein)

1 large bulb of fennel (suppresses inflammation, aids digestion, Vit C)                                     

4 large garlic cloves (Vit C, reduces cholesterol, lowers blood pressure)

4 sprigs of fresh thyme (boosts immunity, mood uplifting, fights acne, treats colds)

1 handful of coriander (lowers blood sugar, detoxifying, removed heavy metals from the body)

2 Tbs of coconut oil for roasting (saturated fat, stable cooking oil)

Juice & zest of 1 lemon (Vit C, alkalizing, blood cleansing)

Olive oil (omega 6, B12, Vitamin E&K, skin and brain health) 

                                                         Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees (fan & grill), and place jar of coconut oil in for a few minutes to liquidate.

Line a roasting or baking tray with wax paper. Take a blunt object such as a rolling pin or jam jar and crush the garlic cloves, still in their shells. Distribute diced butternut, whole crushed garlic cloves and thyme across, then pour over coconut oil and massage into the cubes using your fingers (also very moisturising for your hands).

Place into preheated oven and roast until the cubes start to brown. Cooking time approximately 35 minutes. Turn cubes from time to ensure even roasting. When a fork easily pierces the cubes, the job is done. 

Bring one part quinoa to three parts water to the boil. Cooking time approximately 10-15 minutes. (The trick to tasty quinoa is in the amount of salt you add to the water, as well as the addition of lemon juice once cooked - be generous with both!) Once boiling, reduce heat and stir occasionally. The quinoa is done when the grain turns translucent and little white tails pop out. There should be not excess water left, but if so, drain once done. Now add the juice of lemon and toss to distribute. 

Leave both butternut and quinoa to cool down for a few minutes.

Slice fennel into 1/2 cm slices. Remove the thyme sprigs from the butternut and place cubes into a bowl (I like to leave in the garlic for added bursts of flavour but you might want to remove if you don't enjoy the taste of roasted garlic), adding quinoa on top, and finally the fennel.

Pour over the olive oil and add lemon zest. Finally, pull apart coriander leaves with your hands and add to the bowl. Now toss everything together and season, according to your preferences. 

Done, delicious! 

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PICHULIK Spring Summer '14 campaign video

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KISUA launch ft the Happy Show in NYC with Alexis Barrell, Matt Black Studio and Gazelle

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Aldene Johnson for KISUA

I interviewed Florence Welch's personal stylist and Durban girl Aldene Johnson for KISUA recently (you can read my other KISUA features here).

STYLISH MACHINE: ALDENE JOHNSON The Fashion Editor and Stylist to Florence Welch On Her African Influences

Aldene Johnson was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Durban, South Africa, before moving to London in her early twenties. Beginning her career as the fashion editor of youth culture bible VICE magazine, Johnson first worked with Florence Welch on the now-iconic album cover for Lungs, Florence and the Machine's debut release. Four years later, Johnson is still side by side with the high priestess of pop, dressing Welch in her now-trademark dramatic and textured silhouettes for stage, red carpet and camera. Between styling 'Flo' and other acts including AlunaGeorge, editorial and commercial work, and consulting for London fashion designer Georgia Harding, Johnson still finds time to regularly travel back to South Africa for downtime with family. Below she talks about the power of creative collaboration and all things (African) fashion with KISUA.

Your signature look is romantic, even mystic. How has your African heritage influenced your style?  My style is the result of a combination of influences: my formative years spent in South Africa, my creative grandmothers and these last 10 years in the UK. Ultimately it's about expressing myself. Florence is my muse. Our aesthetic goes hand in hand.

How would you incorporate the bold prints of KISUA into a modern look?  It's all about the right combinations and contrasts. Depending on the pieces, I would style the KISUA prints with clean block colours or clashing prints. And—of course—great accessories.

You often work with the same female photographers and creative talents. What is the power of collaboration between women?  I do find strong connections with other female creatives. For me collaboration is such an exhilarating process, a coming together, to create something bigger than our individual selves.

What advice would you give young African designers hoping for recognition on a global stage?  As with any creative endeavour, you have to stick with it. Complete dedication, hard work and belief in your work are essential. A project like KISUA lies close to my heart. I think the talent in Africa is relatively untapped and KISUA is an amazing platform for African designers.

Images: Lena Emery

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SHINGAI SHONIWA for KISUA

I recently interviewed Shingai Shinowa for the launch issue of KISUA STORIES. See more images from the shoot and read my other KISUA features here.

MAKE SOME NOISE: SHINGAI SHONIWA The Noisette's Frontwoman on the Rhythm of African Fashion

Vocalist, bassist and fearless fashion iconoclast, the Noisette's Shingai Shoniwa is the ideal model and muse for KISUA's launch collection. Photographed by Lena Emery at London's Barbican performing arts centre, Shoniwa wears pieces that are the result of collaborations with designers from Kenya and Nigeria. With her signature sculptural up-do and high cheekbones, Shoniwa looks suitably iconic against the famed 1970s Brutalist architecture of the Barbican. Below the London-based performer tells KISUA about how her African heritage influences her every move.

Your mother is Zimbabwean, but you were born in London. How did you maintain your African roots growing up?  I come from a massive African family full of laughter. My roots, my African-ness, is not something separate to me. It is part of both my physical and spiritual make-up. All the stories my aunties and uncles told me as a child, the music, the food…I grew up surrounded by Africa.

You create hyper-realities through your music. Does your love of fashion play into this? As a child my mother dressed us in extravagant outfits for family functions and I would customize further by wearing two different color socks. I have a profound creative thirst and my eye is always roving to shapes in nature. I am inquisitive about people and the world, and of course, fashion. I love to leave the house in a striking outfit and give the occasional person a smile and a wink if they look grumpy. Fashion is such a joy to share.

What is the place of African fashion on a global stage? If Italian fashion is the guitar, and French fashion is the string quartet, then African fashion is the rhythm. It is the bass and the drums, setting the beat. African fashion is in a really great place right now. The tempo is picking up. It has the possibility to become commercial whilst still retaining the incredible heritage that all Africans share.

Do you have an African style icon?  My original fashion hero is my Malawian Grandmother, Gogo, who was the village dressmaker. She could stitch up a marriage and mend a broken heart with a sowing machine. With this foundation I am constantly on a journey to explore African fashion further.

How do your African roots inspire your sound with the Noisettes?  I use my voice as an instrument to tell stories, that's how my heritage comes through. I absolutely love African rhythm. Sometimes on stage I feel like I am a vessel to sing and represent something that is ancient—even if I don't totally understand it at the time.

Who are your ultimate African music heroes?                             Miriam Makeba, Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited, Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi and Fela Kuti.

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KISUA PRESS LAUNCH - NEW YORK - 4th September 2013

KISUA is a novel African e-commerce platform and design incubator, launching to the US and European markets. KISUA collaborates with designers from around the continent on capsule collections, which are developed and produced by KISUA. The designers themselves take no financial risks and are paid a royalty for every garment sold. The idea behind this concept is to produce standardised, high-quality garments that adhere to international fashion trends whilst maintaining competitive middle market price points, thus presenting African fashion for the first time as a staple rather than a seasonal trend or novelty. KISUA's vision is to contribute towards building the African fashion industry by supporting and nurturing new and established talent, suppling the access to production processes and, finally, marketing to a global audience the immense amount of talent raised in Africa.    

KISUA has a content platform which focuses on showcasing the most exciting artists, musicians, creatives and photographers from Africa and beyond. I wrote all content for the launch issue, and manage KISUA's tumblr and social media accounts. Read my stories here.