Nick Hamman, a food influencer and radio DJ with over 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, is on a mission to boost South Africa's local food economy by highlighting hidden culinary gems. His videos, which feature township barbecues and family-run sandwich shops, have garnered millions of views and brought new customers to small businesses.
Hamman's journey began two years ago when he started using food as a lens to explore culture, family, history, and heritage. 'Food is political,' he said. 'It tells the story of our country in a very special way.' His approach is democratic: he follows social media suggestions, visiting places recommended hundreds of times.
One such spot is Solly's Corner in Johannesburg's Fordsburg district, a fast-food restaurant founded in 1956 by Khadija Akhalwaya. The business survived apartheid's Group Areas Act, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a 2021 electrical fire. Hamman's videos about Solly's Corner have been viewed over 1.7 million times since October 2023, boosting business by 50-60%. The owners were so grateful they named a burger after him and put his image on the wall.
In the township of Alexandra, Hamman highlights young chefs like Gift Sedibeng, who founded Siga Culinary restaurant in 2018. Sedibeng blends local and international flavors, such as his 'MexiKasi' kota burrito, a fusion of South African street food and Mexican cuisine. About 60% of his customers come from outside Alex, drawn by Hamman's videos.
Hamman believes his work helps the local economy by enticing people to visit areas often stigmatized by crime. 'If we don't present these spaces in ways that people are going to be enticed to come into them, the money's never going to come into these areas,' he said. His videos aim to showcase the brilliance in townships and give them a fair chance to develop.
