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

Ingredients

Tuna Mayo Mix

• ‍‍1 can brined tuna, drained
• 1 T capers, finely chopped
• 2 T red onion, finely diced
• 1 small dill pickle, finely chopped
• 3 T mayonnaise

‍Crunchy Slaw

• ‍‍½ cup red cabbage, finely shredded
• ½ cup white cabbage, finely shredded
• ½ small carrot, julienned or grated
• ½ green apple, julienned

‍Dressing

• ‍‍1 T fresh dill, chopped
• 1 T fresh mint, chopped
• 1 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 T dill pickle brine
• 2 T mayonnaise

Method

1. Prepare the tuna mayo mix:

• In a bowl, combine the drained tuna, capers, red onion, dill pickle, and mayonnaise.
• Mix well until everything is evenly coated.

2. Make the slaw:

• In a separate bowl, toss together the red cabbage, white cabbage, carrot, and green apple.

3. Prepare the dressing:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the dill, mint, parsley, pickle brine, and mayonnaise.
• Pour over the slaw and toss to coat evenly.

4. Assemble:

• Spread the tuna mayo onto a sandwich base of your choice.
• Top with a generous amount of crunchy slaw.
• Close with the other slice of bread or serve open-faced.

Enjoy a fresh, tangy, and creamy sandwich with the perfect balance of crunch!

THE CLIENT

WCellar (Woolworths)

THE BRIEF

Create an immersive in-store display for the redesigned WCellar store in Hout Bay.

THE RESULT

An interactive, tactile Masterclass detailing the process of champagne making – from grapes to bubbles, accompanied by an olfactory flavour pairing station.

THE TEAM

Concept, Design and Creative Direction: Studio H

Props and styling: Studio H

Basic structure build: Happinest

Installation: Studio H and Happinest

Graphic design: Casper Schutte, Spook

Special thanks: Hendrik Coetzee

THE CLIENT

Scape Magazine

THE BRIEF

Create three installations (including something to eat and drink) for the SCAPE Trade Show that tie in with the overarching theme of ‘What If’, where we will be pushing the boundaries of convention, unravelling the threads of possibility, and weaving narratives that bridge the gap between the fantastical and the tangible.

THE RESULT

G&Sea

What if you could harvest or drink sea water? SCAPE & Studio H in collaboration with Pienaar & Son presents G&Sea, a salty and delicious cocktail of origin the Atlantic Ocean. This concept challenges our palate and perception, exploring the fusion of taste, sustainability, and culinary creativity through a speculative scenario of a world where consuming sea water becomes a normal part of our diets. G&Sea sparks a dialogue about a future where our culinary boundaries know no bounds, inviting us to taste the unimaginable.

Veggie Lights

What if vegetables could power lights? SCAPE & Studio H in collaboration with Mr Munro explore the possibilities of a world in which ordinary fruit and vegetables could power our grid. Imagine these seemingly ordinary pantry staples become extraordinary power sources for generations to come.

Coffee Sausage

What if we could eat our coffee? SCAPE & Studio H in collaboration with Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants present a breakfast alternative of coffee-infused sausages. Picture a world where your morning ritual takes on a whole new dimension – a daily dose of energy isn't just sipped, but savoured as a culinary delight, allowing us to reimagine our culinary traditions.

THE TEAM

Concept and production: Studio H

G&Sea: Pienaar & Son Distillery

‍G&Sea label design: Koos Groenewald

‍Veggie Lights: Mr Munro Flowers

‍Coffee Sausage: Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants

‍Photos: Paris Brummer

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

Meta Creators Dinner

THE BRIEF

Design a future food menu for the Meta Creators Dinner

THE RESULT

The starters were personalised 3D printed vegan schmear designs, based on questionnaires completed by guests before the event. Each guest received a URL version of their IRL 3D print.

The main course was a flexitarian dish with vegetables as the star and the meat as a side dish. The harissa-grilled cauliflower steak, caramelised cauliflower puree, smoked cep velouté and crispy kale was infused with rosemary smoke, served with a side of lamb noisette and lamb jus.

We intentionally designed dessert with overtly bitter notes – a fynbos soufflé with a juniper and grapefruit ice cream and grapefruit gin digestif. Guests could then sonically season their desserts to make it taste sweeter by listening to the soundtrack supplied.

THE TEAM

Commissioned by Clockwork Media

Vegan schmear: Amma’s Creamery

Ugly gin: Pienaar & Son

Graphic design: Spook Design Co.

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g all-purpose wheat flour
• 150 g unsalted butter, softened
• 225 g brown sugar
• 75 g oats
• 25 g full cream milk or almond milk
• 1 whole organic egg (50-55 g in weight)
• 150 g dark chocolate
• 10 g vanilla extract or the marrow of 1/2 vanilla bean
• 10 - 15 g finely ground ginger
• 2,5 g fine sea salt
• 5 g baking soda
• Sea salt flakes as topping (smoked sea salt is optional)

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 170 °C.
• In a large bowl, sift the flour, fine salt, ginger and baking soda. Add the oats.
• In another large mixing bowl, using a spatula, beat the softened butter and sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, milk, vanilla extract and blend.
• Stir the butter-sugar-egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the dark chocolate. Stir and fold until well incorporated. Chill 15 minutes in the freezer.
• Roll the dough into balls weighing 85 grams each. Place all the prepared balls on a lined baking tray. Place them in the freezer for 10 or up to 30 minutes.
• Arrange 6 dough balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spacing them evenly on the tray as they will spread during baking.
• Bake them for 15 -18 minutes or until golden around the edges. They may look slightly under-baked at this stage but they will harden once cooled.
• Once out of the oven, sprinkle a little smoked sea salt flakes on each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 15 minutes, then, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
• Optional: leave a thumb print in the middle of the cookies before baking and top cookies after baking with any jam of your choice (we love using plum jam for this recipe).

Makes 10 cookies.

Recipe by Terri Salminen, Food Design Playground

THE CLIENT

Atmosphere for BBC Lifestyle

THE BRIEF

When Atmosphere Communications sent a brief with all our favourite things: 🎂 + 📺 + Siba = Bake Off!

THE RESULT

Ready Steady Bake!

THE TEAM

Casper Schutte, Spook Design Co. helped us turn Siba Mtongana and Paul Hartmann into iced cookies

Sweet Lionheart baked the cookies and curated the baking kits

Naeema Page, The Cookie Chef designed and iced the cookies of dreams (she also has the steadiest hands in the business)

THE BRIEF

Design and curate a Dine & Design event

THE RESULT

The inaugural Dine & Design dinner, hosted at Tiny Empire, was the opening of Design Week 2023 and a celebration of 30 years of House & Leisure and Decorex. We wanted all guests to be able to celebrate in one space, but also create a relaxed environment that felt like an intimate dinner party. So guests enjoyed starters and desserts together, and mains was served at various intimate dinner spaces, hosted and created by House & Leisure's team of editors.

Our starter course was an ode to millets. Handmade millet crisps were served in Niknaks packets, symbolising that (due to various complex reasons) maize replaced millet as a staple crop across the continent. The millet crisps were flavoured with maize chip dust made from chips that the guests brought to the dinner.

Main course was served by chef PJ Vadas and the Vadas team from Spier Wine Farm.

The dessert, prepared by the Studio H team, was a banana party - an assortment of banoffee pie, fresh bananas, banana candies, banana perfume and a banana soundtrack.

THE TEAM

Host venue: Tiny Empire

Event hosts: House & Leisure, Decorex

Dinner party hosts: Charl Edwards, Bielle Bellingham, Sumien Brink, Karen Dudley, Tracy-Lee Lynch, Stevie Whiteman

Main course: PJ Vadas

Wine: Spier Wine Farm

Floral design: Mr Munro

Concept, starters, dessert: Studio H

THE CLIENT

Moët & Chandon

THE BRIEF

Studio H has been the lead agency on the Moët & Chandon Golden Tree project for a number of years, driving the structure design and launch events.

THE RESULT

In 2017, 2018 and 2019 the tree consisted of 1680 empty champagne bottles that were collected from across the country and carefully re-used to make a 10-meter-high tree by 15 people over 17 days. 15 300 LED lights were used in 26 concentric rows to create the light.

Most recently, in 2021, a new tree design was launched at Nelson Mandela Square. It was an evening as memorable as it was celebratory in the City of Gold, as Moët & Chandon brought its unique savoir-fête to open South Africa’s festive season in style at the Moët & Chandon Golden Tree opening celebration at Tang Restaurant, attended by the country’s leading celebrities and dignitaries.

Festivities began with a musical performance by SAMA winning artist Simmy who entertained guests with her hit song Sonini. As is custom, Moët & Chandon included iconic South Africans in the experience – this year with Zozibini Tunzi, global humanitarian and Miss Universe 2019, alongside SA cricket captain Temba Bavuma. Black Coffee’s brilliant surprise performance ended the evening with an atmosphere few will forget.

The new Moët & Chandon Golden Tree, poised to offer perfect golden reflections of the Sandton skyline, is a sight to behold. Golden baubles adorn the tree’s gleaming metal exterior, while (for the first time) the interior opens to offer guests a truly immersive experience. Expect a show-stopping chandelier, crafted from 1,400 Moët & Chandon bottles, hanging delicately over a custom-designed champagne cork floor.

THE TEAM

Concept: Studio H

Architect: Stephen Hitchcock, Stretch Architects

Studio H: Hannerie Visser, JC Landman, Hendrik Coetzee, Elena Schutte

Styling: Klara van Wyngaarden

Logistics: Dirkie van der Merwe, Henk van der Schyf

Reveal moment: Tiaan Schutte

Venues: TANG Sandton, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City Mall

Staffing: Holla’

Travel: JetSet-Go

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

Decorex / FOOD XX / Studio H

THE BRIEF

Design a stand for Studio H at Decorex

THE RESULT

In a bid to celebrate women in food, we created an interactive jar swop initiative with donations that went to Ladles of Love, a feeding scheme in Cape Town. The food jar exchange contained donated preserved foods, personal stories and recipes. We wanted to show that a small gesture can make a big difference because donating one jar of food can help alleviate hunger in our immediate community.

The FOOD XX Jar Exxchange also paid homage to traditions of food preservation. For centuries, women have preserved food and their cultural heritage through the age-old tradition of canning, jamming and pickling.

The stand became an exchange hub where anyone – not just women – from all over the peninsula could come to swop a jar of their preserves with a card attached sharing the story and recipe of the food in the jar. Each donor received an empty jar, to keep paying the action forward.

We were overwhelmed by donations from brands such as Bergsoom Pure Foods, who donate 1 000 jars to the project.

THE TEAM

Photos: Paris Brummer

Styling: Juwan Beyers

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.

‍

Recipes: Rowan Hackley, Kabelo Tala, Juwan Beyers

Graphic design: Casper Schutte

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

‍

THE CLIENT
Woolworths Farming for the Future

THE BRIEF
Design an interactive spatial experience for Decorex Johannesburg that gives physical and emotional form to the Woolworths Farming for the Future sustainability platform.

THE CONCEPT
A sensory-led installation designed to prompt pause, participation, and behavioural shift. Rooted in regenerative thinking, the experience invited visitors to exchange a ClemenGold for a written pledge, transforming a transactional gesture into an act of commitment. Citrus-scented air and a wall of hand-signed promises created a living archive of collective intention.

THE INTERVENTION
Positioned at the entrance to the 100% Design hall at Decorex Johannesburg, the ClemenGold swap station functioned as both activation and artefact. Visitors were invited to peel their fruit into transparent bins, creating a slow-build, ephemeral data touchpoint, a quiet accumulation that rendered impact visible. The fruit became a medium for interaction, reflection, and design-led storytelling.

THE NUMBERS
6,000+ pledges signed over four days.

THE TEAM
Concept, experience design: Studio H
Stand production: Klara van Wyngaarden
Activation team: Eviwe Qubelo, Jana Wasserman, Mduduzi Miya

‍

THE CLIENT

Pedersen + Lennard

THE BRIEF

Conceptualise and prepare a lunch menu for a team of designers participating in the Design Week Challenge with a focus on sustainability, recycling and/or up-cycling that captures the essence of collaboration.

THE RESULT

STARTER

3D-printed food waste dip served with ‘plastic’ veggie chips and crackers.

MAINS

Collaborative Sosatie: We asked the design team a few fun questions prior to the event to help us create giant sosaties that represent everyone’s favourite ingredients and flavours — one of the highlights included goat meat. These were braaied on site to perfection by Chef Thabisho Sechogela.

Cricket Flour Irostile: Larger-than-usual irostile infused with cricket flour accompanied by cultured butter.

Shake and Rake Salad: Inspired by Fluxus artist Alison Knowles, we recreated her performance ‘Make A Salad’ which was first performed back in 1962. We got the design team involved and hands-on in ‘shaking’ and ‘raking’ (again) a larger-than-life coleslaw.

DESSERT

DIY Trifle: A next gen dessert giving new life to cake off-cuts donated by our baker friends from Crumb Boutique Bakery and Sweet Lion Heart.

DRINK

G&Sea: In collaboration with Pienaar & Son, a reimagined gin and seawater sourced right from the Atlantic Ocean.

THE TEAM

Studio H

Chef: Thabisho Sechogela

G&Sea: Pienaar & Son

iRostile: Ou Meul Botrivier

Cultured Butter: Cream of the Crop

Cake Offcuts: Crumb Boutique Bakery and Sweet Lionheart

Photos: Samuel Jordan @samsamsamesam

‍

Thank you Pedersen + Lennard for the inspiring brief and the opportunity to work with your incredible team!

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

To design an immersive experience for Innovation Day that redefined how guests think about food — shifting the focus from consumption to perception — while celebrating the brand’s legacy and future-forward thinking.

Studio H transformed Eskort Innovation Day into a study of how we experience food — not just how we eat it.

Hannerie guided guests through a curated series of sensory interventions:

• Taste primed with an umami-infused Bloody Mary.
• Flavour perception altered through colour-tinted glasses.
• Ribs experienced through a sound-led tasting.
• A charcuterie roll-up that demonstrated how aroma acts as the true architect of flavour.

Each course functioned as a micro-installation, revealing how colour, sound, smell and texture shape taste perception. The experience blurred the line between dining and design — inviting guests to question what they thought they knew about flavour.

A reminder that innovation isn’t simply a new product.
It’s a new way of noticing.

Here’s to designing the next 108 years of taste.

‍

As a food design studio, we’re in our element when we get to design experiences with ingredient deep-dives that pay homage to South African food culture – food design with intention and purpose. In May, we did just that, in collaboration with Chef Mmabatho Molefe. We focused on three humble ingredients: pap, meat and rice, for our Family Meal-themed pop-up restaurant.

Here’s how we celebrated pap: One of four sensory room installations was dedicated entirely to it. With the help of the Studio H community, we built an archive of maize meal from as far as Eswatini, KZN and Matatiele. Videos of South Africans from all walks of life making pap played alongside the installation, with the floor covered in maize kernels for an added sensory layer.

Here’s how we celebrated rice: A pot of Mmabatho’s breyani simmered in the centre of an almost empty room, accompanied by ambient kitchen sounds playing in the background. Guests could unpin a packet of breyani spice blend from a tablecloth. The following morning, they received the breyani recipe and the evening’s playlist via email. The veg breyani was served tableside from a huge pot on a trolley. As part of the table setting guests could use a magnifying glass to discover their names on a grain of rice.

Here’s how we celebrated meat: In the bread and tallow room, guests lit their beef tallow candles to mop up the melted fat with mini corn bread mosbolletjies.

Mmabatho served:

ON ARRIVAL

Beef tallow candles with mini corn bread mosbolletjies

Pap waffles with ushatini three ways (chunky, ketchup and jelly) and hung amasi spread.

Wine Pairing: Spier Signature MCC

A BIKE RIDE FROM SOUTHFIELD
“This dish pays homage to Chef Ryan (Cole) and a few things he introduced me to as a young chef.”
Tuna crudo with maize rice, candied beef tongue (seasoned with white pepper), jalapeños, sliced red onions and crack sauce.
Wine Pairing: Spier Seaward Sauvignon Blanc 2024

PAP/VLEIS
“A universally South African dish. Enjoyed in many different ways, yet still speaking to one culture.”
Pap, braised lamb neck, Studio H’s pickled waterblommetjies.
Wine Pairing: Spier Seaward Shiraz 2023

EDEN FAMILY CHURCH
“Whenever I think of the ultimate family time, it’s me and my family at church. Whether it was a fundraiser or a large church gathering, there was always a pot of breyani waiting to be shared.”
Seared duck breast, pea purée, green vegetables, cottage cheese served with vegetable breyani.
Wine Pairing: Spier Seaward Shiraz 2023

RICE & MILK
“When you’re craving uphuthu namasi but you’re out of both. A simple snack I used to enjoy with some leftover rice.”
Vanilla rice pudding, toasted rice and white chocolate cremeux, raw honeymoon, puffed rice paper, and white chocolate shards.
Wine Pairing: Spier Signature MCC 2023

‍

Download the Family Meal playlist, courtesy of A11 Agency, here.

Thank you:

Wine: Spier Wine Farm
Venue: Lemkus Exchange
Sponsorhsip: Bernice Blundell
Styling: Klara van Wyngaarder
Styling assistant and florals: Phillip Obermeyer
Decor design: Sumien Brink
After party drinks: Kalahari Truffles, Angelique Smith
DJ's by A11: Athi Maq, Aaron W Peters