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

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)

Studio H explored corn as a cultural connector during Milan Design Week 2025 with a mindful food installation. Commissioned by Novitá Communications for North America Night at Teatro Litta, the experience responded to the theme Not Lost in Translation – a reflection on design as a universal language – through a multilingual menu and storytelling rooted in culinary heritage across Mexico, Canada and the USA.

From a 3-metre cornbread cake sandwich to Faith Sotondoshe’s isinkwa sombila (steamed cornbread) and a tower of nachos topped with Jamón Ibérico and Claire Dinhut’s candied jalapeños, our menu celebrated corn in all its cultural forms. A piñata designed by Sanri Pienaar, paper fortune teller cutlery and handcrafted cornbread trays turned the evening into a multisensory moment – part meal, part message, part memory.

The evening was inspired by Italian composer and singer Adriano Celentano 70’s anglo-phonetics hit ‘Prisencolinensinainciusol’, a 1972 song with nonsensical, gibberish lyrics intended to sound like American English. Celentano used the song as a way to explore communication and language barriers, demonstrating how music can convey emotion even without real words

Produced by @novitapr‍

Art Direction by @rads.group‍

Culinary Design by @studio_h_

‍Studio H would like to thank:

Sanri Pienaar for the culinary art direction and styling

Mia Everson for making our cornbread tray vision come to life

Faith Sotondoshe for the isinkwa sombila

Strone Henry for the corn bread, syrups and salts

Claire Dinhut for the best candied jalapeño recipe

African Marmalade for the blue maize seeds

Inge Prins for the photos

MASHED POTATO SALAD, BRAAIED TROUT AND BOEREJONGENS

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 400 g trout fillet
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 T salt
• 1 T black pepper
• 1 fresh lemon
• 700 g baby potatoes
• 2 egg yolks
• 250 ml sunflower oil
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• ½ t mild curry paste
• ½ t garlic, minced
• 1 t salt
• 1 t black pepper
• 10 g flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 10 g fresh curry leaves, deep-fried
• 1 cup boerejongens (brandy-preserved grapes)

METHOD

• Portion the trout into 4 equal pieces, rub the fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Braai in a hinged grid for 5 minutes on each side, flesh side first.
• Before taking off the braai, squeeze a generous amount of fresh lemon juice on the fish.
• Throw the baby potatoes into the coals and bury them under the hot ashes for 15–20 minutes until soft inside.
• Take out of the coals and let cool down.
• Peel the potatoes once cooled and set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl add the egg yolks, white wine vinegar, mustard, curry paste, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Drip the oil little by little into the mixture while whisking constantly until all the oil is incorporated and the aioli is thick.
• Mix the aioli with the baby potatoes and mix through the chopped parsley.
• Garnish with the deep-fried curry leaves.
• Place a small bed of the potato salad on a plate, place a piece of trout on top and finish off with a few cheeks of boerejongens.
• Serve as a starter or light main course.

DRIED BRAAI SNOEK, BRAAIED COS LETTUCE AND PLUM SALAD WITH KAAIMANSGAT VINAIGRETTE

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 wind-dried snoek
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T quince jelly
• ½ lemon, juiced and zested
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 small cos lettuce heads, halved
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 T Maldon salt
• Black pepper
• 4 ripe plums, halved
• 2 T honey, melted
• ¼ cup pecan nuts, roasted and chopped
• ½ cup labneh
• 10 g chopped coriander
• 1 t cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T Kaaimansagat Blanc de Blancs
• 2 t white wine vinegar
• 2 t Dijon mustard
• ½ t garlic, minced
• 1 t salt
• 4 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T sunflower oil

METHOD

• In a small saucepan melt the butter over the fire, add the garlic and let sizzle for one minute, mix through the quince jelly, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper.
• Cut the dried snoek into manageable pieces, and place over the hot coals on the braai.
• Braai until golden and crispy on each side, lather with the butter sauce on both sides, cooking for 1 min on each side after.
• Remove from braai and place on a big platter and brush over the rest of the butter sauce to soak into the snoek.
• While the coals are still medium hot, place the halved cos lettuce heads on the grill and cook until they are golden brown and caramelised, do the same with the plums and brush them with the melted honey just before they are done.
• Place the labneh into a small mixing bowl, mix through the chopped coriander and olive oil.
• In a measuring jug, place the Kaaimansgat, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and salt and mix together.
• In another measuring jug, mix the olive oil and sunflower oil.
• Pour the oil into the mustard mixture while whisking constantly, and until thick and emulsified.
• Assemble the salad by layering the cos at the bottom, scatter the plum halves and dollop the labneh.
• Serve the snoek and salad together.

CONDENSED MILK STOKBROOD WITH MATURE CHEDDAR AND MOSKONFYT

Serves: 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• ½ cup condensed milk
• 35 g yeast / 10 g instant yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 t salt
• 45 g butter, melted
• 600 g bread flour
• 100 g farm butter
• 1 block (200 g) mature cheddar
• ½ cup moskonfyt

METHOD

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm water.
• Add the condensed milk, salt, egg and cooled butter.
• Gradually add flour until a kneadable dough forms.
• Turn out on surface and knead until smooth and elastic (±8–10 minutes).
• Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel, leave to stand in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Knead the dough again for 1–2 minutes and divide into 6 equal size sausages.
• Wrap the dough sausages around sturdy vine branches.
• Allow to rest and proof until puffy.
• Cook the stokbrood over the coals, turning constantly until golden brown and cooked through.
• Serve the warm stokbrood with farm butter, mature cheddar and moskonfyt as a cheese course dessert.

​A homage to the humble bread basket - a generous gesture set on tables throughout the world. Weaving our ancient relationship with wheat into a timeless tradition of giving.

Originally shot and produced by the Studio H team for Chips! and then syndicated in Jan the Journal vol. 3.

Production and styling: Hendrik Coetzee

Photos: Marloes Haarmans

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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.

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

Our team recently gave a talk at 100% Design in Cape Town and Joburg on the Future Talks stages. The food fight-themed talks were an investigation into the ways in which one could use food to draw attention to global problems in our food system, and hopefully find solutions too.

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“Re-member” is our sustainable chair submission for the Decorex chari design project. A repurposed garden chair coated with precious millet flour and hand stitched millet-stuffed pillow in reused kitchen vacuum bag. Giving back millet its seat at the table.  

Chair design: Juwan Beyers

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

Crowd-sourced food design: Hannerie was a speaker at the 2022 Design Summit at 100 Percent Design Africa. As part of her presentation the audience took part in a crowd-sourced food design experiment. The Happy Cake Project in collaboration with Sweet LionHeart, aimed to design the world’s happiest cake. At the Summit we presented a Beta version of the cake for everyone to taste: Kefir and cacao nib chocolate cake with honey and mucuna Swiss meringue buttercream. We asked the audience to design version 2.0 of the cake with us by voting for various options through a cloud-based platform. The audience voted that the next cake would be: 

Cake flavours: Dark chocolate (1st choice) and Sourdough honey (2nd option)

Filing and icing: Bee pollen buttercream (1st choice) & Lavender buttercream (2nd option)

Colour: Yellow

Eaten with: Your hands

Listen while eating: Happy by Pharrell Willliams

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THE CLIENT

V&A Waterfront

THE BRIEF

Lead curator, Makers Landing

THE RESULT

Hannerie was the inaugural lead curator and designer of this purpose-driven space that supports job creation and skills development, a space that champions small businesses and facilitates skills-sharing between credible food experts and budding entrepreneurs. Studio H is still part of the mentorship programme for tenants at Makers Landing, whereby our studio assists food entrepreneurs to scale their businesses.

THE TEAM

Photo: Ashleigh Frans

THE CLIENT

Nando's

THE BRIEF

Create an activation for Nando's Vusa at an Anglo event during Mininig Indaba.

THE RESULT

For the Nando’s pop-up at an Anglo event during Mining Indaba 2024, we partnered with Faieez Alexander, the visionary and founder of Fuzzys Koesisters, hailed as the home of Cape Town’s best koesister by KFM. These traditional Cape Malay treats are more than pastries, they symbolise a story of resilience and a rich heritage. We served up Nando's Vusa-infused PERi-koesister ice cream sandwiches in The Residency at Makers Landing. This pop-up restaurant space was designed in collaboration with Clout/SA, a Nandos-led design programme that facilitates collaboration between designers and the hospitality sector.

Anglo event production: True North Event Design
Fabric pattern design: Thandazani Nofingxana
Packaging pattern design: Bonolo Chepape

FOOD XX, founded by Studio H in 2018, is a movement dedicated to empowering and celebrating women in the food and drinks industry.What is FOOD XX WEEK?Because one day just isn't enough, we've expanded FOOD XX into a four-day programme of epic events and collaborations. FOOD XX WEEK offers an interactive opportunity to celebrate women-owned food & drinks businesses. It will also mark the launch of the FOOD XX City Guides - Studio H’s ever-growing directory of businesses and programmes that highlight women entrepreneurs.

The week culminates with the FOOD XX Market on 29 & 30 July at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market. This iconic (and woman-owned) weekend destination is putting their best femme forward by showcasing their incredible women entrepreneur network. Food enthusiasts can expect a feast for the senses, wine tastings, special menu collaborations, cooking demos, book signings and more. Check out the lineup below and on @fxxd_xx, and visit the socials of the various businesses listed for more info.

This calendar has been specially curated for FOOD XX WEEK and involve layers of collaboration between many businesses:

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26 JULY: Preparty at Leo's Wine Bar x Mondvol Soet x Austen Gorden



27 JULY: Intimate book signing with Khanyisa Malabi at JAN Innovation Studio



27 JULY: 
Getting Bubbly! Genevieve MCC & Ever Peckish collaboration

27 JULY:

 Sepials Kitchen Workshop - Gochujang and (her famous) Korean Fried Chicken

28 JULY: Popup dinner with Chef Jenny Ward at Hope Distillery cocktail bar, StrangeLove


29 JULY:
 Utano Kitchen's Vegginista plant-focused cooking class at Makers Landing



29 JULY: Odd Plate Fundraising Lunch with NOSH at Oakfield Farm



29 JULY: Conversations and revival through food with Folio and Food I Love You

30 JULY: 
Beijing Opera takeover at Acid Wine Bar for Last Sunday Art Brunch celebration

30 JULY: Cocktails vs Food - A heritage-inspired feast at One Park


30 JULY: Book signing with Loubie Rusch at OZCF



30 JULY: Cake creative - build your own cake with The Velvet Cake Co



29 & 30 JULY: FOOD XX at OZCF Market - a spectacular culmination



THE CLIENT

Nando's Grocery

THE BRIEF

Create a series of videos and stills with influencers to be used as content for the brand website and brand online channels.

THE RESULT

A series of conversation-style recipe videos, each video featuring a content creator and a chef cooking a hearty, everyday meal together, inspired by local ingredients and flavours. Content creators include: William KRM, Young Ceezy, Siv Ngesi, Paballo Koza, Nabo Binase and Star Shongwe. Recipe development, video and stills production by Studio H.

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Recipes included:

Sorghum pancake and greens with crispy egg

Asifanani monkey gland chops

Pull-apart roosterkoek

Nando's bunny chow

Pulled PERi goat and morogo flatbreads

THE TEAM

Producers: Hannerie Visser, JC Landman

Recipe developement: Hannerie Visser, Juwan Beyers, Strone Henry, Keletso Motau

Recipe styling: Keletso Motau

Food assistant: Ivan Masiyazi

Videography: Yellow Brick Media, Earl Abrahams

Video production and direction: Studio H

Stills: Daniela Zondagh, Earl Abrahams

INGREDIENTS

• 155 g roasted broccoli
• 315 g roasted butternut
• 1 pack vegetarian chipolatas (Woolies)
• 2 cups cheddar, grated
• 1 onion, grated
• 30ml peppadews, chopped
• 500 ml milk
• 4 eggs
• 125 ml flour
• 10 ml baking powder

METHOD

• Pre heat the oven to 180 °C.
• Mix everything together and bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Let cool in tin for 30 min, turn out and cool completely.
• Frost with savoury butter and cream cheese frosting.

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Photos: Nikki Symons, Sweet LionHeart

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

Ingredients

• 1 kg Dutoit shallots
• 1 kg Granny Smith apples
• 20 ml dried thyme
• 900 ml white wine vinegar
• 500 g brown sugar
• 200 g sultanas
• 10 ml salt
• 5 ml crushed black pepper

Method

• Peel and thinly slice the shallots. 
• Peel and evenly dice the apples. 
• Add all the ingredients into a large pot and allow to cook at a low heat until caramlised. 
• The chutney is ready when all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is a light caramel colour. 
• Place into a glass jar with a sealed lid. Store in the fridge for at least one week before using. 
• This chutney can last in the refrigerator for at least six months.

Developed in collaboration with Dutoit, available from our Birthday Shop.

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

Decorex Africa

THE BRIEF

Host an inspiring media launch for Decorex Africa 2022 with snacks that resonate with designers.

THE RESULT

We collaborated with some of our favourite food partners to create an interactive food experience that showcased both form and function. One of our highlights was the customs-shaped banana butters in collaboration with Cream of the Crop Micro Dairy.

THE TEAM

Concept: Studio H

Mould design and production: Studio H

Butter and shaping: Cream of the Crop

Photos: Ashleigh Frans