THE CLIENT

Weylandts

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THE JOB

Design a corn-themed food installation for the launch of the Weylandts x Thebe Magugu collab during Cape Town Furniture Week

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THE MENU

Grilled corn disks with spicy Nik Naks dust

Cheesy corn fritters

Amagwinya with corn and bacon filling

Corn Flakes brittle

Steamed cornbread

Caramel popcorn bracelets

Cornbread cake with xigugu custard and whipped crème fraîche, covered in popcorn

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Concept and menu design: Studio H

Chefs: Mia Everson, Faith Sotondoshe

Art direction for Weylandts: Sanri Pienaar

THE CLIENT

Masterchef SA Season 4

THE BRIEF

Studio H was tasked to prepare contestants for the show during the two weeks leading up to production as well as with producing specialist challenges for the show.

THE CLIENT

Adidas

THE BRIEF

We were briefed, alongside six other artists, to re-imagine sustainable footwear for the future for the new adidas concept store in the Waterfront.

THE RESULT

As a future food design studio, our approach is deeply rooted in exploring a sustainable future. With our micro mushroom farm, we celebrate mushrooms for their ability to perform the alchemy of transforming agricultural and other organic waste into a nutritious food source. Growing mushrooms is a unique blend of recycling, science and efficacy. This powerful combination makes them one of the most sustainably produced foods in the world.

The interior of the Stan Smith shoe has been converted into a micro mushroom farm and 3-D texture was added to the exterior of the shoe by sculpting fondant and piped royal icing flavoured with dried mushroom powder. The laces are coloured with natural mushroom dye.

THE TEAM

Concept, micro mushroom farm and laces: Studio H

Exterior design: Sweet LionHeart (Nikki Symons)

THE CLIENT

Laphroaig

THE BRIEF

Create a media drop for Laphroaig.

THE RESULT

Eau de Laphroaig – Studio H conceptualised and developed Eau de Laphroaig, a bespoke fragrance that is an ode to the peaty shores of Islay, home of Laphroaig whisky. For the bottles, we collaborated with Cape Town-based ceramicists Vorster & Braye to design a hand-crafted ceramic decanter that complements the gentle earthy notes of the perfume, and we worked with Spook design on the linen-covered packaging.

THE TEAM

Voster and Braye

Juwan Beyers

JC Landman

Retha Ericsson

Casper Schutte, Spook

Photos and videos: Daniela Zondagh, Juwan Beyers

THE CLIENT

Anglo American

THE BRIEF

Create a disruptive future food-led activation.

THE RESULT

We baked over 1000 millet cookies to create millet milk tart sandwiches with 3D prints for the Anglo American Mining Indaba Gala Dinner. Let’s join forces in the International Year of Millets and discover the full potential of this ancient grain to feed the world and combat climate change.

Get the recipe.

THANK YOU

True North Events

THE CLIENT

Sensory FX

THE BRIEF

Create a mechanism for us to showcase the way in which we develop flavours.

THE RESULT

We designed an olfactory experience for Sensory FX to showcase their flavour creation journey in a memorable way. The experience included various olfactory touchpoints and immersive moments. We based our design on research by neuroscientists, proving that stronger memories are formed the more a person participates in a particular activity and the more senses are engaged.

THE TEAM

Studio H

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

THE CLIENT

Kove Collection

THE BRIEF

Shoot content to launch the new restaurant's menu offering on their website and social media platforms.

THE RESULT

Menu items shot against moody restaurant interior backdrop.

THE TEAM

Styling: Juwan Beyers, Studio H

Photos: Daniela Zondagh

At the 2022 Food XX Awards, we honoured a group of 19 women from across South Africa - and beyond - for their outstanding contributions to the food and hospitality industry. For this event, the Studio H team designed a neutral canvas that would represent our equality-themed Awards breakfast ceremony. We collaborated with some of our favourite women in food to produce the all-neutral breakfast spread of Wild Yeast edible sourdough cracker plates, Sweet LionHeart regal cakes (bright pink on the inside) and Studio H’s souttert cakes decorated by the SLH team with cream cheese frosting and gold glitter olives, soetkoekie forks and of course Krone Cap Classique to toast our winners.

THE TEAM

Programme MC: Khanya Mzongwana

Ayurvedic tea and meditation ceremony: Michele Mistry, Indikaap

Imphepho installation and intention setting: Ukutya

Keynote speech: Mmabatho Molefe, Emazulwini

Continental Connections: Anna Trapido

Thank you to our sponsors:

Event sponsor: Spekko Rice

Venue sponsor: Makers Landing

Awards sponsors: Spekko Rice, Krone, Nando's

Trophy plates: The Detailsmith

Publicity team: Ten X Collective

Social media team: Star Shongwe, Zanie Nxa

Production design: JC Landman

Culinary design: Juwan Beyers

Photos: Daniela Zondagh

Floral design: Mr Munro‍

We do in-depth trend and/or flavour presentations based on the reports that we publish. A recent presentation included a flavour immersion presentation to the global staff component of a FMCG foods business. The presentation would include a synopsis of the relevant report(s), designed specifically to the businesses' brands and objectives. 

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We threw a giant sandwich party on the last Sunday in March with our friends The Maak, Picnic (Faith Shields) and The Lookbook. The activation was the grand finale of The Bree Street Picnic Blanket.

Over a period of two months, public volunteers have helped The MAAK x Picnic sew community-scale picnic blankets, which were rolled out for a day of food, music, and playful public interventions. Anyone could join and volunteers assisted us to make coleslaw that would become the filling for our 20-metre sandwich. The coleslaw ingredients were all combined in a huge tarp by volunteers shaking and raking the salad! View the making of the slaw here.

The Bree Street Picnic Blanket is part of an ongoing research and public art project that explores collective-making as a tool to grow community and activate public space. Sewn together with volunteers, bespoke blankets are used as soft public infrastructure to prompt questions about how to make cities more human-centered, welcoming, comfortable and fun.

This project was part of Young Urbanists’ car-free street experiment. 🦓🛣️

Read more about the project here on The Maak's website.

Project Directors

🪡 ART DIRECTION, PROJECT FACILITATION by The Maak and Picnic (Faith Shields)

The Kitchen

🍞 SANDWICH PARTY by us.

The Stage

🎷 LIVE JAZZ + DJs by The Jazz Cult. Sound by A11 Agency.

The Living Room

🏗️ PROTOSCAPE by Lebo Kekana x NISH Design – A modular installation redefining how we engage with space and art.

The Formal Lounge + Scullery

🎨 DECOR + STYLING by The Lookbook

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THE CLIENT

Caesarstone

THE BRIEF

Design and produce the awards ceremony for the annual Caesarstone Student Designer Competition. This year, students were invited to create a conceptual and functional design to AMPLIFY an Olympic urban sports centre located in Nantes Park, Athlone.

THE RESULT

Battery Park, a vibrant urban park in the heart of Cape Town, served as the venue for the awards ceremony. The theme was brought to life through an immersive experience featuring amplified food and entertainment (including a 10-metre-long irostile, 1-metre-long sosaties and 100L of breyani), interactive elements, and an oversized newspaper showcasing the finalists' entries.

THE TEAM

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

Food collaborators: Seven Colours Eatery, Yoraya Nydoo

DJs: Ready D, Kixi

Graphic design: Spook Design Co.

THE CLIENT

V&A Waterfront

THE RESULT

Studio H designed a residency programme and pop-up space at Makers Landing, introducing the next generation of chefs with a popup restaurant concept which invites rising stars to take up residency in a bigger restaurant space, giving them an opportunity to get a taste of running a full-scale restaurant.

THE TEAM

Restaurant design: CLOUT

Interior architect: Walter Train, Tracy-Lee Lynch

Photos: Paris Brummer

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

Beanstalk for PUMA South Africa

THE BRIEF

Create a bold and immersive food experience for the relaunch of the iconic PUMA Mostro sneaker – a cult classic originally released in 1999 – hosted inside Cape Town’s Castle of Good Hope.

THE RESULT

A visceral menu and interactive food installations brought the surreal Mostro Lab to life – a space imagined as the inner workings of a living monster. The menu included molten synapse s’mores with black sesame shortbread, charcoal crackers dipped into neon pink hummus and golden split pea purée, glow-in-the-dark neurotropic caviar and charcoal bao filled with sticky soy lion’s mane and coffee-chilli beef. At the top of a winding staircase, a glow-in-the-dark jelly installation awaited in a hidden chamber.

THE TEAM

Concept, menu and experience design: Studio H

Chef: Strone Henry

Service staff: Hero Events

Photos: Jonx Pillemer

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THE CLIENT

M-Net

THE BRIEF

Conceptualise a dinner for the MasterChef South Africa sponsons and guests for Earth Hour 2021.

THE RESULT

Amidst accelerating climate change and staggering biodiversity loss, Earth Hour continues to inspire millions of people to take action for our planet and nature. Every year, at 20:30 on the last Saturday of March, supporters in over 190 countries and territories unite, taking action on and raising awareness of the issues facing our one home.

With MasterChef South Africa’s commitment to sustainability and the environment, it was only apt to host the official sponsor’s dinner on Earth Hour 2022. This dinner was attended by 80 of the main sponsors, associated sponsors, contestants and judges, DStv Rewards Winners, production agency and members of the media. The dinner was prepared by Chefs Mmabatho Molefe and Bertus Basson, and the canapés were served on ‘Shellegance’ by local artist Lucie De Moyencourt.

THE TEAM

Venue: Makers Landing

Sponsors: M-Net, DStv Rewards, Pick ‘n Pay, V&A Waterfront, Makers Landing

Associated sponsors: @home, Hisense

Chefs: Eike by Bertus Basson, Mmabatho Molefe, Emazulwini

Canapé plates: Lucie de Moyencourt

THE CLIENT

Woolworth

THE BRIEF

Create short videos for social media that showcase new food products.

THE RESULT

A series of engaging stop-motion videos highlighting each new food product – from amadombolo and aubergine melanzane to confit duck curry and Chuckles coconut biscuits. Each video transitioned the product from its packaged form to a serving suggestion, demonstrating ease of use and visual appeal.

In a world where teaching healthy eating habits and responsible food choices to children has become more crucial than ever, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our Kids Food Studio digital recipe and activity book. This innovative and engaging document is designed to empower children aged 5 to 12, with essential skills and knowledge (from kitchen basics to the food rainbow), allowing them to foster a positive bond with food from an early age.

Kids Food Studio is more than just a resource; it's a dynamic experience that takes young learners on a food adventure.

Buy the little KIDS FOOD STUDIO recipe and activity book.

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Recipes: Rowan Hackley, Kabelo Tala, Juwan Beyers

Graphic design: Casper Schutte

THE CLIENT

Dutoit

THE BRIEF

Collaborate with a group of artisans to create apple pie-inspired goods in celebration of Apple Pie Day and Mother's Day. These creations should be shareable on social media and included in hampers for a few lucky winners.

THE RESULT

A limited edition, edible apple pie perfume, inspired by the memories of our moms' apple pies, whipped up with love and nostalgia. We teamed up with Lorraine Loots, Miss Lucky Pony and Sweet LionHeart to bring you a range of apple pie creations, including a teeny-tiny apple pie masterpiece, a handcrafted ceramic fruit bowl, a yummy apple pie traylette and, of course, an edible apple pie fragrance straight out of our kitchen.

THE TEAM

Concept and production: Studio H

Photos: Nikki Symons

Studio H is aiming to collate the world's biggest database featuring women-owned and women-led food and drinks businesses from South Africa and Africa, nominated by our community and curated by us.

Nominate your favourite women in food.