Whiffs of lamb meatballs and gnocchi pasta smothered in a creamy tomato base permeate the kitchen as Nthabiseng Mathole lifts the lid to reveal the delicious dish.
What follows is pure magic, with Matholes culinary pizzazz becoming the linchpin as she takes SMag editor-in-chief Emmanuel Tjiya through three delicious pasta dishes she has prepared for a FoodTok video series.
A week earlier, I met the pint-sized 33-year-old digital-content creator and homemaker on the set of her debut magazine cover shoot at Glow Hire studio in Riviera, Joburg.
Matholes soft-glam makeup is instantly energised with a fierce cat eye, sleeked-back hair, and teased ponytail, accentuating her high cheekbones and natural beauty. I was telling Bomzi hairstylist Ntombomzi Lekgoro that it dawned on me what Im doing today on my drive to the studio.
Its a huge opportunity and something that I never would have dreamed up for myself. Im super grateful, she says, getting teary-eyed. Her career in content creation kicked into high gear in 2021 when she resigned from a lucrative corporate career. I worked in risk management for 10 years until 2021, when I decided I wanted to go into content creation full-time. It wasn't easy coming to that decision and I didnt take it lightly, she says.