Vol 10. No.4 | Yeoville Dinner Club

Hey Ya’ll,

At the beginning of the year, I was coming off my South Africa high and promising to write more before life did its own thing (another tale for another time). Part of what sparked that creativity was attending a Yeoville Dinner Club in Johannesburg. I met the owner, Sanza, suddenly and unexpectedly. I was checking out Saint Germain cafe on a rainy day on the recommendation of friend. We ended up talking to the owner about the red cappuccino listed on the menu and when Sanza came by 30 minutes later, he introduced us and said we had to go to Sanza’s dinner if we could make it.

I was drawn to Sanza’s energy from the first few seconds and lit up as he started talking about his dinner. It reminded me of Holy Sip. He had a dinner planned for the following day, but it was already full. He said to reach out to him on Instagram and he’d let us know if he could fit us in.

I reached out the next day out of pure desperation because I didn’t believe for a second we’d be able to get a seat. However, Sanza, the quintessential hospitalitarian, made it work. I will forever be grateful that he did. It was one of the highlights of my trip for many reasons. The dinner takes place in Yeoville, the neighborhood that Sanza grew up in. It’s not somewhere that you end up by chance while in Johannesburg. The Uber driver seemed puzzled as to whether he should stop and he might not have if Sanza wasn’t there to meet us on the street to escort us to his place. I welcomed this little slice of real Joburg life and delighted in the fashion of the swenkas mixed with the fervent energy tumbling from every street corner.

This was the start to a remarkable night. Every few minutes, new groups of guests joined us. Some lived in Johannesburg and had been meaning to attend, others were stationed there for two-year assignments, a few were visitors to the country like us and another was a longtime guest bringing some new people. As more people joined, Sanza brought out more of the alcoholic concoctions that he was making with local fruits and spices. By the time we sat down for the meal, my heart was already full. In that short intro, we’d built community. It was a perfect night that only got better with the fact that the food was incredible and Sanza tells amazing stories.

As the night closed, Sanza and I chatted for quite a bit and he mentioned he was going to do a US tour in the summer and wanted to stop in Atlanta and do something. I told him to definitely let me know. Well, he didn’t. But if anyone understands that, it’s me. By chance (because I am rarely on social), I saw a post from him with a Chattanooga date and I immediately messaged him to see if Atlanta was planned.

That brings us here.

After a series of messages, I’m happy to say that I get to host a dinner with Sanza while he’s here in the States. There were two Atlanta dinners already planned when we started the conversation and they’ve already sold out. We’re quietly adding another dinner next Saturday, August 9th. This newsletter is the first access to the tickets. (Somehow Internet sleuths already found it though and five tickets have sold. )You can find tickets here. I don’t hype many things, but if you can make this work, I urge you to. All proceeds for this dinner go to Sanza and his team. For me, I get the chance to build community and give myself the little creative boost that I’ve been craving.

And in a full circle moment, we’ll host this dinner at Chef India’s space in Adair Park. If you’re familiar with any of the dinners I’ve hosted, you know that I’ve collaborated with India for almost a decade now and I’m grateful that she’s opened her space up for this.

Hope to see you on Saturday.

Shannon

TL;DR (I’m on Reddit too much): I’m hosting a dinner with Chef Sanza from Yeoville Dinner Club. Tickets here.