Chef Jason shows kindness through the gift of food with Little Brinks in Cape Town

Feed Mzansi jumps in the passenger seat next to cookbook author Jason Whitehead, as we make our way to Little Brinks in Cape Town to cook a hidden veggie delight for 20 children in need of a little extra support. 

It’s funny how time flies when you’re having fun. With only two stops left on our road trip for a good cause, Feed Mzansi is making the journey to our final destination a memorable one as we continue to provide nutritious meals to hungry children across the country.

This week, Chef Jason prepares a classic chicken and vegetable stew, with a secret nutrient booster – a hidden vegetable sauce packed with cauliflower, broccoli and leafy greens bought from Food Lover’s Market Parklands. Growing children need lots of colourful, fresh vegetables to build strong bodies and keep their brains healthy.

Chef Jason gets an early start to the day, shopping for the very best ingredients at Food Lover’s Market Parklands. A food consultant, Chef Jason explains that a hidden veggie sauce exposes even the pickiest of eaters to a wide selection of vegetables, and encourages healthy eating, without the dinner table battles.

No amount of rain will detour our journey of giving, and with his shopping list successfully ticked off, Chef Jason embarks on the drive to Little Brinks, a safe house for abused and neglected babies and children in foster care.

While shopping for ingredients at Food Lover’s Market Parklands, Chef Jason gives a top tip for selecting the freshest, crunchiest ingredients, saying: “Go for the vegetables that look as close to [the] source as possible, for instance, the carrots that still have the carrot tops on them. You can use the carrot tops to make a pesto and use the carrots for stews like I have done today.”

Want to make your own hidden veggie sauce at home?  

1. Grated vegetables blend easier than cubed or chopped vegetables.
2. Use similar colour vegetables to the original sauce you’re recreating (spinach for pesto or butternut for macaroni and cheese) 
3. Don’t point out that anything is different when making substitutes for your children’s favourite meals – they might not even notice anything is different! 

At Little Brinks, Chef Jason gets cooking in founder Kath Brinks’ home kitchen, in the home she shares with her six adopted children. With curious little faces looking observantly at Chef Jason’s every movement – whether it’s a chop, slice or a dice - the cookbook author sneakily blends his secret sauce – with no one the wiser.

Kath started Little Brinks in 2008 when she saw the need for someone to step in and try to make the lives of children a little bit better, after seeing how many of them go to bed hungry or are hurt and neglected.

Kath says she is incredibly proud of the children who have walked through her doors and, those who have gone on to be adopted into loving, caring families. She says: “Every cycle broken I feel is a big achievement because it means that there’s somebody out there who is going to make a difference in somebody else’s life which is going to have a ripple effect for the rest of their lives.”

Because many of the children arrive at Little Brinks severely malnutritional, Chef Jason’s meal contains just the right about of kindness, and nutrition to make a meaningful difference in the lives of his tiny guests. 

The perfect recipe for showing, love and compassion – evident by the warm hearts, empty plates and full tummies.

“Never before have I been in a household where the love is palpable. I feel like I’m leaving here today having made a few friends, and my heart is full today,” says Chef Jason, who has promised to continue building on his relationship with Kath and her children in the future.

Continue our mission of spreading joy, and kindness in your city. How will you make a difference in the life of someone else today? 

At the end of the video series, one lucky chef with the most votes will receive R25 000 to donate to their featured child and youth care centre.