1986

When my interest of cooking started, first as cake maker until a point where my parents couldn’t cope anymore with the quantity I was making. They invited me to switch to savoury! My brother was a master in aperitif platter. I had to find another niche! Everything exotic and unusual become my interest.

1988

We regularly visited my aunt and uncle who live in Paris and are real foodies. They completely nourished my curiosity for trendy and fusion dish! With them, I went to my first Chinese restaurant, ate my first frog legs, discovered my favourite mushroom: morels. Each time they inspired me even more!

1990

My parents would’t hesitate to give my brother and I the responsibility to cook whenever we had guests which was always an exciting time!

1997

Flying away from home to study accounting and finance in a business school, but always with a bag with fresh produce from my grandparents and parents. Food has always been the priority of the budget. I have been educated like that. As a student, I never ended up cooking pastas and potatoes! It has been the time where I started to discover my style of cooking and I was inviting friends for sitting dinners to get their feedback, share and connect to make new friends!

2000

One year in Leeds to get double diplomas, and it was at the time of mad cow! My parents would bring me across the channels, frozen meat from home!!! Good and healthy food has always been a priority!

2010

After a few work permits renewals, I have managed to get permanent residence which allowed me to quit my job in logistics and start thinking of a solution to the mountain of cooking books at my bed side and packed diary with dinners at home. My hunger of cooking reached a point where it became obvious that I had to share my passion either via a restaurant or via cooking classes.

2011

Start of Nadege Cuisine to offer hands-on French cooking classes from my home. I definitely found a great way to share my culture and passion. Each class fed me with joy and became more and more popular. A few well known magazines wrote beautiful articles and I had an opportunity to appear in a TV show as a French cook. All helped me to get clients in South Africa! I could not believe that people from Johannesburg would fly to come to my cooking classes!

2013

As health has always be a priority in my life, I started to offer healthy (raw, vegan, vegetarian, special requirements such as allergy, conflict with food), cooking classes as well. 

2015

Launch of the culinary cooking tours in France where I accompany my clients in Normandy, Burgundy and South West of France over 1 week. I enjoyed so much building tours in the same way that I like to travel: to meet authenticity and tradition through accommodation, experiences, locals and obviously and above all food!

2016

French tourists contacted me while traveling in Cape Town to do cooking classes with me around South African cuisine, and so I have started to offer as well, menu covering traditional dishes of the rainbow nation (Zulu, Xosa, English, Coloured, Afrikaans, Indian...) and special dishes focusing on specific SA ingredients such as Rooibos, ostrich egg, fynbos.

2017

Launch of Airbnb experiences in South Africa. I was one of the first on the SA platform cooking experiences, to offer classes either French or South African to foreigners. I have met so many people from all over the world! I just love it to travel without moving!

2019

At the beginning of the lockdown, I then launched online cooking which becomes a success. I would have never expected that I could have so much fun teaching online and have a real connection with people! I have built friendship and definitely loyal customers.

2021

I have decided to increase even more my knowledge in health by becoming a holistic nutritionist (still in progress!). New doors then opened and I have been approached by lodges to review their menu and train their staff. My first experience was at Chole Mjini Lodge. The next one to come is in March 2022...and the journey continues!