THE CLIENT

Woolworths

THE BRIEF

Design an activation that brings Woolworths' immersive digital Farming For The Future campaign to life at Decorex Cape Town.

THE RESULT

We designed an 4-day activation aimed to showcase the visionary Farming for the Future campaign. The initiative and its overarching commitment “For Our Collective Tomorrow” intends to herald a new era in farming practices. Through an interactive installation, Decorex visitors were encouraged to make a pledge to reduce their impact on the environment in exchange for an apple.

Visitors were reminded of ways in which they can reduce our impact:

• Save energy at home
• Change your home's source of energy
• Walk, bike or take public transport
• Switch to an electric vehicle
• Consider your travel
• Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle
• Eat more vegetables
• Throw away less food

THE TEAM

Concept, design and activation: Studio H

Photos and video: Warren Talmarkes

Vinyls and lifesavers: Longlife Lettering

Thank you: Decorex and Bielle Bellingham

Stand build: Happinest

‍

THE CLIENT

Beam Suntory

THE BRIEF

Develop a disruptive earned media campaign aligned to The House of Suntory portfolio’s single minded messaging around Japanese craftsmanship in order to elevate awareness and accelerate meaning for The House of Suntory brands, whilst bringing the brand propositioning to life.  

THE RESULT

Studio H developed a consumer-first strategy that would increase the brand's most impactful channels to inspire action through shared passions by immersing the consumer in The House of Suntory brand world. The pop-up concept amplified the brands' alignment with Japanese craftsmanship that was further magnified through a programme of tastings and lifestyle Masterclasses.

The campaign coincided with Sakura (cherry blossom) season in Japan and invited consumers to immerse themselves in a sensory journey – capturing the essence of Japanese culture – at Hyde Park Corner, Johannesburg.

Project Lead: JC Landman

Creative Direction and Styling: Klara van Wyngaarden

Graphic Design: Spook Design Co.

Brand Ambassadors: Just Short, Steve Zylstra

Masterclass curation: WAZA

Food service: KōL

By Holly Beaton

Studio H always has something intriguing in the works, and for their birthday celebration, they unveiled an extraordinary pop-up experience; characterised by their distinct attention to detail and generosity. On arrival, we were ushered into a room housing a dream realised for those of us who favour savoury delights as our first choice: a massive birthday cake adorned with hundreds of candles. Could I have ever imagined experiencing such a colossal cake, drawn from flavours inspired by South Africa's diverse culinary repertoire, and for it to be savoury nogal? The cake featured a half-half combination of 'braai snoek pâté terrine with apricot jam' and 'fior di latte layered braaibroodjie' with cream cheese icing – the perfect introduction for our palates of what was ahead.

Once guests had tucked into a piece of savoury cake, we were guided upstairs – to a dining space, where we were welcomed by a table-scape showcasing the colour-blocking, diversity of objects and proportions signature to Studio H’s bold design-vision. Guided by the number 12 dotted all over – from a stackable, 12-piece bread thread on a needle, to a centre piece in their signature primary colours of blue, red and yellow – with oversized tomatoes and edible menus hanging overhead – the centre-piece continued to delight us all as we uncovered each new, surprising detail.

This is Studio H’s liminal world of merging the fantastical with the realistic, the deliberate with the playful, and in collaboration with Chef Jen, the menu was an exploration rooted in the number 12, with time serving as the guiding principle. Each dish during their mindful dinner was temporally-rooted across technique, ingredient, and presentation – underpinned by the intangible force of nostalgia and ultimately; the joy and wonder that serves as the basis for all their endeavours.  

The culinary journey began with a reimagined ‘Salad Valley’, a throwback to the Waldorf salad – perennially refreshing and nostalgic. Featuring stacked baby gem lettuce leaves, 12-minute smoked grapes, 12-hour pickled apples, a 12-spice pecan nut crunch, alongside celeriac, celery, green beans, and a creamy dressing whipped up in just 12 seconds; served in diner-style baskets. Incredible.

Then, custom ‘KFC’ buckets arrived at the table – filled with NikNaks beer brined buttermilk fried chicken and chips, served with melrose sauce in wax sealed mini-pots; a throwback that centred one of the best snacks tucked into the memory-bank of every South African.  

Next, we were treated to a whiskey-glazed, pressed beef rib slow-cooked for a diligent 100 hours, accompanied by charred creamy corn and a tangy fermented carrot pickle. For this course, we were invited to use Githan Coopoo’s custom cutlery – silverware that had been moulded by the heft of clay, adding a weight to the eating experience which invited us to eat slowly, while the dish itself was served on Studio H’s Mindful Eating Plate by The Detailsmith, featuring cheeky anecdotes revealed with each mouthful; inviting each of our conscience to the fore.

For dessert, ‘Honey Honey’ was an homage to one of the most iconic ageing processes; cheese, an ingredient that gets better with the guiding hand of time. This course was a delightful gingerbread sourdough cookie sandwich filled with fynbos honey brûlée, with shaved 12-month-aged Klein River cheese and a honeycomb crunch.

With bellies full and conversations still rumbling, we were invited to return downstairs; to a communal 5-metre-long Moerkoffie swirl fudge, served with giant Koffie Cookies, coffee – and the option to take home tin-foil swans as mementos. Lasty, a delightful ‘Thyme For Bed’ palate cleanser – resting on wooden toothbrushes waited for us at the exit, with a dollop of thyme and lemon marshmallow tonic. A final, tart and herbaceous mouthful before heading home with our foil swans tucked under our arms.

Studio H gifted us, on their birthday – and I think this sums up the Studio’s essence. Each aspect of the experience was a demonstration of their instinctive understanding of food as a communal experience, in which the senses, memory and emotions work together to evoke new perspectives on how we can engage with the world around us. What will they dream up next? It's hard to conceive; but they’ll need more than another twelve years – to many, many more.

The menu and wine pairing

Course 1

Birthday cake: half-and-half (braai snoek pâte terrine with pickled apricot jam) + (fior di latte layered braaibroodjie) topped with cream cheese

Ambeloui MCC 2012

Course 2

Waldorf inspired stack salad, served inside an iceberg lettuce bowl, with 12 min smoked grapes, 12 hour pickled apple, 12 spice pecan nut crunch and 12 sec creamy dressing

Sijnn White 2012

A dozen micro Marmite crouton loaves, served with micro butter

Course 3

NikNaks bucket: NikNaks beer brined buttermilk fried chicken served with Melrose sauce

Course 4

Super slow beef: Aged 100-hour braised whisky/balsamic glazed beef rib with creamy corn and fermented carrot pickle

Crystallum Bona Fide 2012

Course 5

Honey, honey: Gingerbread sourdough cookie sandwich with fynbos honey brûlée, shaved 12 month Klein River cheese and honeycomb crunch

Course 6

Moerkoffie fudge: 5m long moerkoffie swirl fudge with oversized koffiekoekies

Thank you:

Mindful cutlery: Githan Coopoo

Mindful crockery: The Detailsmith

Birthday candles: Okra Candle

Chef: Jenny Ward

Kitchen Team: Fifi Kusotera, Kabelo Luhle Tala, Ntomboxolo Sidoda, Anake Ngagela

Studio H: JC Landman, Eviwe Qubelo

Event creative director: Nikki Symons

Photos: Daniela Zondagh

Music: Andy Aichison (A11)

Wine curation: Matthew Freemantle, Leo's

Birthday cake: Sweet LionHeart x Chef Jen

Fudge: Afrikoa

Butter: Cream of the Crop

Graphic design: Hoick

Concept: Hannerie Visser, JC Landman

THE CLIENT

Ten X Collective for Amazon Prime

THE BRIEF

To celebrate the premiere of Amazon Prime’s Last One Laughing in South Africa, we were asked to design and execute a menu for a South African street food village.

THE RESULT

Embracing the opportunity to be boldly innovative with an added element of heritage and humour, we created a menu that came alive with the vibrant and energetic spirit of Amazon’s iconic blue. Canapés were elevated, flavourful treats with a nostalgic twist, packaged as tuckshop snacks – think spiced biltong zoo biscuits and Nik Naks flavoured skhokho crisps. Guests got to co-create their own kotas with a selection of toppings, and choose thick or thin, long or short at the self-service “boerie bar”. The evening ended on a sweet note with “guess the flavour”" soft serve, candy floss a 10-meter-long skopas treat. Everything in bright blue!

THE TEAM

Concept, menu design, culinary curation: Studio H

Head chef: Jenny Ward

Food collaborators: Fifi Kusotera, Strone Henry, Charming Chef

Graphic design: Spook Design Co.

FOH Manager: Angelique Smith

Service: Blackjack Events

Event production: Until Until Events

In December 2023, we at Studio H were thrilled to unveil our 2024/5 Future Food Report during a series of presentations at our Tiny Empire office. As aspiring leaders in culinary innovation, these sessions provided a detailed exploration of upcoming gastronomic trends. Our approach involved comprehensive research, data analysis, and expert insights, all of which were shared with enthusiasm and great OPTIMISM - one of the very prominent themes. The presentations were not only informative but interactive, featuring a flavour museum, a pop-up shop, in-session tastings and a hot sauce workshop. This event underscored our commitment to staying ahead of culinary trends and showcased the dedication we bring to the intricate world of food design.

The team

Concept, experience design, menu design, culinary curation: Studio H

Food collaborators: Ever Peckish, The Fermentary by Sepial, Sweet Lionheart, Two in a Bush, Vinehugger, Lebanese Bakery

Graphic design: Spook Design Co.

Venue: Tiny Empire

THE CLIENT

Nando’s

THE BRIEF

Conceptualise a strategy that would celebrate the launch of two new Nando's Bag ‘n Bake flavours.

THE RESULT

The new flavours have inspired a selection of #PERiTricks recipes that puts a fresh spin on some of South Africa’s favourite foods and ingredients. And as part of the launch, customers got to discover these recipe tricks at a  popup in Braamfontein. Think super fun recipes made in a tumble dryer, air fryer or even with an iron.

As the lead creative agency on the product launch, Studio H was responsible for creating and managing the concept, developing the recipes and directing and producing the recipe video content for the project. The studio collaborated with some of the finest local talent to make this project come to life.

This project was shortlisted for the Loeries Awards 2023. See here.

THE TEAM

Concept and production: Studio H

Architect: Stretch Architects

Pattern design: Bonolo Chepape, Lulasclan

Video: Yellow Brick Media

Setbuilding: JMC

Culinary support team: Prue Leith Chefs

Location: 99 Juta

Graphic design: Spook Design Co., Sisanda Nxumalo

Interior photography: Marijke Willems