Today we connect to a cheese and wine fanatic hailing from the streets of KwaThema in the East of Johannesburg. Jabulile Masomuka is an entrepreneur who has turned her love for good cheese and a nice glass of wine on a sunny self care Sunday afternoon into an income revenue. She started an Events and Catering company seeking to bring the taste of the north to the streets of her neighborhood.
Masombuka is an entrepreneur, fulltime professional, mother of three and partner who has managed to align her love for good food with her ambition to create a side hustle which is set to build a generational legacy for her children. She started her business JGB Luxury Picnics and Graze focused on events, graze platters picnic setups and more in the year 2018. She then decided to venture into workshops and endeavors directed at imparting knowledge to other local entrepreneurs in her community.
Her craft has exceeded the borders of the East Rand as she has opened up for a broad clientele including the upper class through offering catering services for small to medium events. Watching food channels and following food social media pages was all the knowledge she needed to better her craft of creating amazing graze platters. Today she gives cheese and wine lovers tips on how to create amazing graze platters which are satisfying to both the eye and the stomach.
What goes into making an ideal graze platter:
Masombuka says the nicest thing about graze platters is that you can play around with your ingredients . However she lists the must have's:
Board( Basic and important for your arrangement ) Salami Cheese of your choice Crackers Nuts Pickles Biltong Chorizo Dip Garnish of your choice (Strawberries, Pomegranate, passion fruit )
Wine You can per your wine with what bests suits your palate you can go for red or white wine : Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Oaked Chardonnay Pinot Noir OR OTHERS..
She adds that some people prefer pairing cheese with white wine due the common concept of red wine being best served with red meat. However she says she also recommends pairing platters with a nice bottle of Merlot and also Cabernet Sauvignon.
Due to the high demand from her clients of her pairing her platters being with wine, to avoid them going out to purchase wine. She then decided to come up with her own wine brand to create a level of consistency and to properly brand her company. She now pairs her platters with her own wine JGB luxury Picnics and Graze a 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon which she says goes perfectly with graze platters.
Masombuka also gives us the must have's for a basic picnic setup since we are fast approaching the holiday season : Blanket Ideal food basket or Graze platter Wine Good Company and good conversation
She concludes by giving advice to those who like her would love to turn their passion into their income. She says that there is no such thing as perfect timing, the most important thing is to START.
"The world is your oyster and the sky is the limit"
Once you have identified your side hustle, it is important to align yourself to your brand, follow the right documentation and compliance procedures and to invest in your craft.