“After I moved to res, I’d put together dishes for everybody, together with my soccer teammates, particularly sandwiches. I used to be all the time making various kinds of sandwiches and experimenting with totally different flavours.”
In his formidable pursuit to raise the standard kota, Ledwaba met with a backlash from township clients over pricing.
“To raise the kota expertise, we used high-end produce, which meant that our meals prices have been excessive in comparison with different kotas within the township,” he says.
“I’d have these pop-ups known as Company Friday, the place I approached my mates to rally their colleagues to order kotas and ship to their places of work. This was on the worth vary we have been searching for. Although it got here at R80, as in comparison with R35 within the township, folks have been welcoming of the product. This was in 2018.”
Ledwaba continued to open pop-ups at company occasions in northern Johannesburg and celebration hotspots round Soweto, and 2Selai’s reputation quickly grew.
“We discovered ourselves coming into meals competitions and festivals such because the Gauteng Kota Fest, The Morning Present Kota World Cup and Pitch and Polish meals competitors in 2023. By the competitors winnings, we have been capable of open our doorways in Sandton,” he says.
2Selai is a member of the SA Chefs Affiliation and was inspired by the affiliation’s president’s enthusiasm for its thrilling imaginative and prescient for the iconic avenue meals.
“He was very stoked about what we have been doing and completely happy that we have been taking the kota out of the township,” says Ledwaba.
