“I’m a dedicated food enthusiast and consultant based in Cape Town, specialising in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine.”

Aliya Mazandarani

Despite my huge passion for food and cooking since I was a young girl, I chose a more practical route of business & marketing which I studied in Cape Town before returning to the UK to further my studies. The stress of living and working in a big city like London pushed me to seek better balance in my life and I began a long and difficult personal journey into improving my health (I had a chronic IBS). Reconnecting with my passion for good food and its ability to nourish and heal the body I embarked on a 3-year Naturopathy and Nutritional Diploma in London with CNM. I qualified in 2005 and worked in clinic as a Nutritional Therapist for over 7 years which has given me deep insights into the psychology of our relationships with food.

In 2010 I was encouraged to enter Masterchef UK where I managed to get to the quarter finals. I felt this experience gave me much more confidence in my abilities as a chef and I think it was during this time that I realised I wanted to cook more and perhaps develop recipes and host dining events.

Returning to SA in 2010 I began a career working with the health food brand Natures Choice where I held the position as their National Dietary & Lifestyle counsellor and had the opportunity to develop health food products as well as educate clients around the country around the brand and product offering. I left the company in 2016 to work freelance and develop my own products as well as training for various other companies in the food space.

Since then I have been cooking up a storm and mostly reconnecting with my love of the food of my heritage and hosting cooking classes and dining events in Cape Town. These events are a brilliant way to express my love and passion for healthy tasty food and connect with other like-minded foodies. Unexpectedly my cooking classes and dining events caught some attention and being featured in Taste Magazine in 2019 was a real highlight for me and an acknowledgment that following my passion can never be wrong.