Ryan Swano
Step into an evening of flavour, memory, and ritual with Shihaam Domingo – The Food Witch – as she invites you to an immersive indigenous dining experience unlike any other. Rooted in the ancient foodways of the Khoi and San, this 7-course journey is guided by the rhythms of tide and moon, honouring seasonal abundance and ancestral practices.
OK, here’s my confession. I have only ever on a few different occasions had the amazingly good fortune to enjoy cakes, confectionery and her famous koesisters, but alas; I get jealous each and every time someone directly brags to me or when they post pictures of enjoying a meal cooked by The Food Witch, Shihaam Domingo.
Shihaam, who has deep roots in the performing arts and has an amazing track record of working behind the scenes, making things happen, has, over many years, connected me with artists and shows in different performance genres.
Ghiemba that I am, I loved the idea that Shihaam always baked celebratory cakes for the opening night of every show she was involved in.
Shihaam has also, since the previous iteration of our website, been a content contributor on Bruinou.com, with her latest article being Jou Ma Se Taal, Carissa and Real Kaapse Koesisters from Jozi.
Connecting with Our Indigenous Ancestral Food Heritage
Now of course, you might wonder why I would rave about her cooking if I haven’t yet had a meal cooked by her, but hear me out.
Remember, I’ve only ever eaten the sweet baked goods she is famous for.
I have, for many years, been well acquainted with Shihaam’s stories of combining caught seafood (or bought directly from the fishermen) with foraged seafood and food plants, and she has always been known for her above-average Malay cooking.
It was a couple of years ago, after not hearing from her for a few months, that Shihaam and I did a catch-up phone call.
I’m paraphrasing, but she revealed that she was on what she described as a sacred journey of connecting with our indigenous ancestral food heritage. Her plan was to follow recipes that have been passed on for generations, known only to a few remnants of rural and coastal family clans. As an alternative, she also wanted to develop new dishes that would build on the nourishing and healing properties of traditionally foraged foods.
As I recall, Shihaam has, as part of her journey, connected with others who are also on the same path as her. They have veritably started a movement focused on cooking with sustainably sourced indigenous food plants and other organic ingredients.
Now, whenever talking to her, even though I have never considered myself to be a true-blue foodie, nor have I ever seen myself as an expert on traditional indigenous Khoi and San foraged food plants, there is an immediate warm sense of familiarity when she mentions something she has recently cooked.
The Mystical & Magical Benevolent Food Witch
Her moniker, The Food Witch, is also not something that should be taken with a pinch of salt. Scientific studies all over the world have proven and continue to explore the fact that traditional indigenous foraged foods have medicinal value. Indigenous peoples from Asia to South America and right here in Africa place the ability to harness the medicinal properties of foraged food on a shamanic level.
It is both mystical and magical, and gives Shihaam the aura of a benevolent witch.
As Shihaam describes it, “Each dish is designed as an offering: nourishment as ceremony, food as medicine, and taste as storytelling”.
“From fire-kissed liver infused with indigenous herbs that awaken memory, to foraged and preserved ingredients carrying the wisdom of the land, this experience is more than a meal – it is a return. Every bite stirs the senses, every flavour recalls how our ancestors sustained themselves with care, community, and intention. Here, food is not only eaten, but shared as a collective act of love, remembrance, and renewal.”
“The ingredients on your plate come from custodians of the earth – growers, foragers, picklers and preservers – who continue the practices of our lineage. In gathering around the table, we join them in sustaining these traditions. This is an evening of nourishment and storytelling, where taste becomes memory, and memory becomes a map back to ourselves.”
I can’t wait to experience Shihaam’s Full Moon Indigenous Food Story and there are already hints of similar events happening in the future, all tied to the tides and seasons.
The Full Moon Indigenous Food Story will be hosted by The Domingo Effect on Sunday, 7 September, from 17H30 to 20H00 at Makers Landing, The Cruise Terminal, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town
Tickets are limited and cost R450 per person
Bookings can be done on Quicket
