Jordaan is also the founder of the Halaal Goods Market – a platform celebrating halaal food, creative entrepreneurs, and small businesses – and the co-founder of a craft mocktail brand, Fehmz Mocktails.
"My cooking is just me – honest, experimental, and real." – Fehmida "Fehmz" Jordaan
Johannesburg In Your Pocket has been cheering her on for years. We first wrote about Jordaan in our #MyJoburg series (read the interview), where she charmed us with her infectious energy, her entrepreneurial spark, and her deep love for this city. In 2025, she released her debut cookbook, Damn Good Food, which takes that journey full circle: bringing the dishes that made her a digital favourite into homes across the country. At a glance, the book is an ode to her childhood, a treasure trove of tasty memories, a source of kitchen confidence, and a love letter to cooking with heart. Unsurprisingly, it’s just as colourful as Jordaan herself. You can purchase Damn Good Food here.
We caught up with this Joburg-rooted foodie to discuss all things inspiring, delicious, and community driven.
P.S. If you’re in Cape Town and have ever wanted to ask Jordaan a question, now’s your chance! She’ll be in conversation with fellow author and digital food creator Kim Bagley at West End Primary School on Sun, Feb 1, from 12:45 – 13:25, chatting about all things soul food for the Cape Flats Book Festival. Admission is free. Follow @capeflatsbf on Instagram for more info.
What’s your earliest food memory?
Gosh, food has been such a part of my life that there isn’t a memory without it. One of my favourite memories is from when I was a little kid. My parents lived in Joburg, but my mum was from Pietermaritzburg, so my dad would bundle us into the car late on a Friday and drive straight to KwaZulu-Natal. We would be fast asleep in the back seat, carried into the apartment, and the first thing you’d hear when you woke up was the clinking of cutlery, the sound of laughter, and the waft of food coming from the dining room in my granny’s apartment. We would wander there, groggy eyed and in our pajamas, to see my parents and my mum’s whole family gathered around the table, eating fresh mince curry with peas, chillas (like an egg pancake) or piaaj beda (onion and chilli eggs), hot rotis, and sweetened, brewed masala tea. It makes me smile every time I think of it.
"Food has been such a part of my life that there isn’t a memory without it." – Fehmida "Fehmz" Jordaan
What got you into cooking – or into the kitchen?
Much of our life revolved around the kitchen. My mum loved it, she experimented, she taught us things, she loved making things with her hands, learning new dishes, going for cooking classes and devouring food magazines, and my dad was just as happy and joyful in the kitchen. They passed on that love and passion.
How would you describe your cooking style or food philosophy?
I'm not afraid to try anything once, and I am not afraid of failing at something. I love to experiment, to taste, and to push myself. I just keep it as real as I am in life.
We adore your new cookbook: it’s fun, approachable, and of course tasty. What made you want to publish it?
There’s still a part of me that can’t believe we really did this. I honestly wasn’t sure at first, my fear of failure was looming, but I had such a wonderful publisher, and she showed me that she truly understood who I was. At the back of my mind, I had always wanted, one day, to have something with my name printed on it – something accessible to everyone, a piece of me that could be in homes across the country. And this was it. Once I knew I was going to do it, I wanted it to be as me, as authentically me, as it could possibly be. And I think we did it.
You mention in the book that you battled self-doubt before writing it. What did this stem from, and what pushed you to see it through?
As a young girl, I was always bigger, different, loud – I didn’t fit the societal expectations of what a South African girl of the Indian diaspora “should” look like. I was plus-sized, dark-skinned, self-conscious, and sometimes ridiculed. I even felt unaccepted and “unmarriageable” at times.
As I grew up, I got tired of trying to fit in. A friend of mine lived unapologetically, and it inspired me to do the same. Those moments still sometimes trigger impostor syndrome, but as I found and believed in myself, I let go of what others thought and started living true to who I wanted to be. Social media eventually became my creative outlet – it brought me joy and a supportive community that celebrated me.
My dad was a driving force through it all. He believed in giving your everything, trying your best, and never doing less than 100% in whatever you pursued.
"I love to experiment, to taste, and to push myself. I just keep it as real as I am in life." – Fehmida "Fehmz" Jordaan
Damn Good Food pays tribute to the women in your family. Tell us about a kitchen moment that stands out for you.
My mum, paging through magazines, cutting out recipes she wanted to try. Sitting with her late into the night, learning how to fold samosas – she would have made ten by the time I finished one. I loved those nights. I would hear her stories of life, childhood, and the early days of marriage, and how she had to make and sell samosas to make ends meet.
Given your heritage and Joburg upbringing, which dish in the cookbook do you feel exemplifies a “cultural bridge” – something that marries worlds?
It would have to be the chilli-bite waffles. Chilli bites are such a staple Indian savoury snack that we grew up with – deep-fried goodness, with so many variations. I decided to pop them into a waffle maker, giving them a more contemporary twist: less oil, cooler options. And who doesn’t like an interesting, loaded waffle? Waffles are so "non-desi" when you think of Indian food, but here we've married the two – and it’s so damn delicious!
"Social media eventually became my creative outlet – it brought me joy and a supportive community that celebrated me." – Fehmida "Fehmz" Jordaan
What’s a recipe in the book that you think people will completely misinterpret when they first see it, but once they try it, it flips their expectation?
Aunty Pinky's fish and rice and the dokra. Trust me.
What was the most surprising thing you discovered that can be made in a blender?
Desserts! Making a whole cheesecake in a blender! I would never have thought, but I was lazy to pull out my machine, and so I tried it. I am so glad I did!
Most underrated kitchen tool or gadget?
My blender.
Over the years you’ve built a large digital food community. What do you love about this particular corner of the internet?
The way community cheers for you and supports you, it's the most humbling experience and leaves me in awe of humans, because it's humans behind each username.
TikTok has influenced many home cooks. Are any of your recipes a result of it?
Oh, for sure! I scroll and save and get inspired by so many amazing creators out there. I love it. I don't always jump for a trend, but I do love to try out interesting and delicious-looking things.
"I'm a Joburg girl through and through. I love the city, the pulse, the beat, the life." – Fehmida "Fehmz" Jordaan
What’s a recipe that didn’t make it into the book – but you wish it had?
Coconut biscuits and custard biscuits. Such nostalgic biscuits for my family and I.
You’re also the force behind the Halaal Goods Market. What made you want to play in this space?
My love for food and the lack of dedicated Halaal options inspired me to start Halaal Goods Market. I wanted to show that Halaal is more than the usual biryani or samosa stalls – there’s an amazing variety of cuisines, all small-batch and all Halaal. Having worked in the creative industries, I knew I wanted to champion small businesses doing innovative things – not just food, but fashion, jewellery, and other products. My goal was to support them as they grow, outside the corporate franchise system.
If Damn Good Food was a person, how would you describe its personality?
Loud, colourful, unapologetic.
Looking ahead, what unlikely theme or cuisine would you love to explore next?
I just want to keep exploring and challenging my own abilities and taste buds.
You’re participating in the Cape Flats Book Festival (end Jan 2026). What does it mean to you to show up at a community-centred festival like this?
Community is everything! I am so excited to be able to be at a festival whose focus on Read to Rise is to get the youth to read more, to get books into the hands of our future generation. I am so lucky to be invited and I cannot wait to be among the community. That's the best part.
Rapid-fire round: Six questions about Joburg
What brought you to Joburg and what makes you stay?
I'm a Joburg girl through and through. I love the city, the pulse, the beat, the life.
What is a surprising thing people might learn about Joburg by having a conversation with you?
How much I love it. Ha-ha! But also Joburg has so much to find and explore – skip the malls. They would learn that I worked in Benrose and used to drive past the flower market every day, that I spent many very early mornings in the fruit and veg market, and that I would tell anyone they haven’t experienced enough until they’ve taken a walk through the potato market and watched the traders go about their business.
"Joburg has so much to find and explore – skip the malls." – Fehmida "Fehmz" Jordaan
What three things should a visitor not leave Joburg without seeing or experiencing?
Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, and the Hector Pieterson Memorial. Also, a drive through Soweto to catch the vibe. A visit to Hope School in Westcliff – for the architecture, the view, and the school’s purpose – and a slow drive through our tree-lined neighbourhoods.
Your favourite Joburg restaurant or favourite Joburg chef?
- A trip to Akhalwayas on Main Road, Fordsburg, on a Saturday – get the Steak Rounder special, cut in half, no tomato, and sit in your car to eat it hot. Also:
– Russian honey cake and a cardamom bun from The Test Bakery.
– Nani’s egg curry from Green Dot Café.
– Ghee roast masala dosa from Dosa Hut, Fordsburg.
– Ostrich fillet and mango halloumi salad from Upcycled Café.
– Crepe cake from Iris Garden Eatery.
If you were Joburg's mayor for one day (average tenure), what would you change?
I would get everyone to just start cleaning. Clean everything. Desks. Offices. Buildings. Streets. Let's start with a really good clean.
Three words that describe the city?
The inner city – Alive. Forsaken. Recoverable.
The whole city – Vibrant. Pulsating. Home.
Follow Fehmz on TikTok at @fehmz.com and on Instagram at @fehmz.
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