Tamatiestraat

09/01/2025

NICE TO MEET YOU

This is Deon & Reinée, the owners of Tamatiestraat. This photo was taken on the spot where Deon asked Reinée to be his girlfriend & proposed, respectively 34 & 24 years ago. They have lived many experiences in these years and are grateful to have not committed murder yet.

Reinée is mostly „the voice” on Instagram, however the majority of the functions are executed by Deon and their amazing team. Reinée is kept busy with the creative development, menu planning and general administration of the business.

Here’s a few useless facts about “them”!

Deon…
- is a lefty and super proud of it although no-one can read his handwriting
- can fluently speak „Donald Duck”
- is super domesticated and handles their laundry, shopping & most of the cooking at home (eat your heart out girls!)
- is a real show-off when ice skating!
- is an expert in “on the spot word puns” (and drives everyone crazy with his cringe lines!)
- silently wishes he had his son’s Lego collection...

Reinée…
- has supersonic hearing and can follow 3 conversations at once
- recorded a cd in her past life and at one time dreamt about becoming a music therapist
- wonders if crying about a great meal makes her an emotional eater?
- really wants to be, but is NOT (yet) a morning person AT ALL
- will not disclose how many browser tabs she has open at any given time

So.
That’s that for now.

Happy useless information day to you too!
x

#2025

31/12/2024

ENOUGH

enough

23/12/2024

CHRISTMAS 2024
Lemon Cheesecake Pavlova

A little gift from us to you. Last minute inspiration for your Christmas lunch or Summer entertaining. 3 of 3 💃

Have a blessed time with the ones you love.
Reinée & Deon
###

23/12/2024

CHRISTMAS 2024
Waldorf Christmas Ham

A little gift from us to you. Last minute inspiration for your Christmas lunch or Summer entertaining. 2 of 3 💃

Have a blessed time with the ones you love.
Reinée & Deon
###

23/12/2024

CHRISTMAS 2024
Explosive green salad

A little gift from us to you. Last minute inspiration for your Christmas lunch or Summer entertaining. 1 of 3 💃

Have a blessed time with the ones you love.
Reinée & Deon
###

19/12/2024

CORONATION SALAD
The Tamatiestraat version

A fabulous way to still have a Summer braai, but enjoy it as a "lightet meal". Perfect for those days you want to recover from holiday feasting. 😉

One of our favourites! Enjoy.

26/11/2024

BEGEERTES / DESIRES

We had a lot of fun conceptualising the harvest table to compliment the booklaunch of 's "Desire at the end of the white line". Although the book raises incredibly valid and pressing questions around whiteness and desires, we had a bit of frivolous fun with the food by playing with concepts, shapes and the symbolic "fruit of desire", the apple. It was an absolute joy to work with Azille and to listen/experience her incredible knowledge of her field. May the book "fly"!

X

12/11/2024

WORLD ADOPTION DAY 2024

[Celebrated on November 9th, this day is a time to share stories, connect with others, and reflect on the adoption journey. It’s a day to celebrate the power of family and to spread awareness, love, and support.]

Adoption changed our life, and 12 years on we are still in awe of our story and our miracle son. For those of you who are new here, a short synopsis.

In 2012 we have already been through almost 10 years of fertility treatment (with 20 procedures) and was at the time listed at 3 adoption agencies ánd had a surrogate lined up. I used to call it our “bread on water” year. I recall vividly the whole day of 24 August 2012. It is the anniversary of the day Deon and I met way back in 1991. We were planning to do something to celebrate, but I felt SAD. Really just tired of hoping, believing and trusting. We so desperately dreamt of a baby, of being a family. Anyway. We popped into my parents when my phone rang at 17h15. The call that would change our life.

Long story short. We were chosen by a birthmother that morning (from a few protfolio options during her meeting with the Social worker), where she chose us and, low and behold, she went into labour that afternoon. We had to fly to Johannesburg immediately! We did not blink. Within minutes we were rushing home, packed a few things while booking tickets online and off we went. Just before getting onto the plane I phoned to say I will be switching off my phone and to check in if all was ok at the hospital. I was greeted by the words “Als het goed gegaan, hoor hoe huil julle seuntjie!”. O man. What a moment. What a feeling. The airline staff must have thought I am crazy, because as I got onto the plane I told everyone “I just became a mom!”.

We arrived at the hospital about 3.5 hours after Ben-Daniël was born, sleeping softly in the incubator due to the fact that he was born 4 weeks early at a tiny 2.4kg. Small, but feisty and absolutely perfect…...and the spitting image of Deon. Crazy. Amazing. Meant to be.

Continue in comments...

21/10/2024

MEMORIES

Today, four years ago (21 October 2020), we presented our first cooking class in our new space. (Scroll to see the before, during and after pictures of the demo kitchen.)

It was a celebration of huge sharing platters and to be together again after Covid! For the next 3 weeks we cooked around the theme "A fresh start" with 180+ guests and was reminded of the joy togetherness brings.

We hold these memories, and the people, close to our hearts as we also celebrate the different season we are in now.

X reinée & deon

15/10/2024

CELEBRATING LIFE
Hofmeyersaal - 12/10/2024

This past weekend we had the privilege to celebrate a wonderful person, a life well lived and an all round inspirational human. You will be missed by many. 🖤

The stunning flowers done by René Slee and setup by Ben-Carl Haveman elevated the look of our food station. Thank you so much. Also to our incredible suppliers for the best produce.

20/09/2024

BEEF TATAKI SALAD

This must be one of our all-time favourite recipes - and with Spring here it is finally time to serve wonderfully versatile room temperature dishes.

Serve this salad as a side dish or make it as presented here with sirloin steak. It is also fabulous with braai'ed chicken. There is a lot of secret in the sauce...you will want to drink it!

Find this recipe, and many more on

13/09/2024

ASIAN “POP” SALAD

I love myself a chopped salad!!! On its own, with pizza, with braaivleis…basically always. This one has a few “popping” surprises and is finished with an Asian inspired dressing which have become a staple in our house.

So, with SPRING in the air, pop over to to find this recipe! (This one is on us! 😉) Enjoy.

11/09/2024

OFFICE FUNCTION SNACKS

A selection of bites for a cocktail event. The focus always being on a variation & quality of textures, tastes & colours.

This spread consisted of:
- Oxtail shortcrust tartlets with a tomato salsa
- Caprese lollipops
- German pork pinwheel with sweet mustard
- Tamatiestraat signature Spanakopita with ginger tzatziki
- Smoked Salmon with apple & dill Crème Fraiche Bruschetta

Feedback great! " Hi Tamatiestraat! Die funksie was baie lekker gewees, dankie - en julle kos was uitstekend!"

.stellenbosch

09/09/2024

25/07/2024

FRITES MET UITJES & MAYO
VOETBOOGSTRAAT, AMSTERDAM

Since 1957 this little “hole in the wall” serves the most delightful Frites with sauces to your hearts desire - and they also claim to be the number one Flemish fries of Amsterdam.

I don’t know about that because I have not tried anyone else's fries!! Since our first visit to Amsterdam in 2003, this has been our loyal stop. Always só good, washed down with a beer of a bar down the street. I include photos of our visit in 2013 when Ben-Daniël was only 10 months old!

As they would say, "eet smakelijk"!

17/07/2024

AMSTERDAM

The last few days of our trip were spent in the charming Amsterdam with its intricate canal network, upright (and mostly squeezed in) houses, bicycles everywhere (!!!) and fabulous borrelhappies & beer.

The name Amsterdam quite literally means "a dam on the Amstel river". This dam was built to control flooding of the original small fishing village in 12th century. Today it is a bustling city with many art, culture & architecture attractions and was voted in 2022 as the 9th best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Facts aside, this city "has something to it". A charm, efficiency and deep rooted history on every corner. It was a pleasure to see you again!

10/07/2024

ATHENS & ACROPOLIS

Travel Sketch #16/2024

Acropolis = high city. A city where you should look up to be met with fascinating stories and rich history. We only touched the tip of the proverbial mountain, but we breathed the air, felt the ground and had heated family discussions about the stories. It all made for an unforgettable first acquaintance.

See the last slide for how the Acropolis was believed to look in the Golden Age (480-404 BC). Although less “grand” today, the atmosphere and presence remains.

08/07/2024

FAVOURITE THINGS

Travel Sketch #15/2024

To experience another country & culture through their food is intertwined into the travel experience. At first I think we tend to look for familiarity (comfort!) and from there we can dabble with the unknown and experiment. Within the food you discover language, stories, family secrets and soul. A journey we love, long for and aspire to recreate.

Some Greek favourites include Gavros (white anchovies), Summer tomatoes, Feta cheese (huge selection!), Greek yoghurt, local honey, Olive oils, Souvlaki & Gyros, the interesting use of dill & mint, Papoutsakia, Greek salad, filled vegetables, Greek oreganum, Olives, Ouzo (Deon only!), local beer, lemon chicken, peach juice, Sardines and their selection of Lays crisps! 😉

05/07/2024

SUNSETS IN MELINDA, LESVOS

Travel sketch #14/2024

Magical sunsets, every night. Swimming until the last rays disappear and counting our blessings.

04/07/2024

STUFFED VEG & GREEK SALAD

Travel Sketch #13/2024

Two of the things the Greek does sooo good!!! The stuffed vegetables are normally tomato & green pepper and the stuffing varies, but consist mainly of rice and sometimes also minced pork and herbs. If done well (and charred properly!), it is just gorgeous and a meal on its own. Pair it with a classic Greek salad of ONLY ripe tomatoes, Green Pepper, red onion, olives and the best slice of feta cheese. Heaven.

03/07/2024

MY PA

My liewe lekker liefdevolle Pa
Met die groot hande, hart en houvas
op dit wat regtig in die lewe saakmaak,
en my kon toevou in die wete dat als ok sal wees.

Ek het nie geweet hoe ek gaan asemhaal
as Pa nie meer híér is nie, maar toe groei daar
vlerke op die plekke waar Pa my ondersteun en
liefgehad het sodat ek Pa eintlik heeltyd
naby voel.

Ek steek vir Pa kersies aan in elke kerk én
aan ons tafel, nie net vandag twee jaar later nie,
maar telkens om die lig wat Pa was en steeds is te onthou en te vier.

Ek is so dankbaar vir my liewe, lekker, liefdevolle Pa.

2/07/1938 - 3/07/2022

03/07/2024

GREEK OCTOPUS

Travel Sketch #12/2024

Catching, drying and preparing octopus is a big thing in Greece. Even though it makes for interesting pictures and (sometimes) tasty dishes, I have grown quite sensitive to these sightings. It simply reminds me too much of My Octopus teacher. 🙈

Please, no haters. This is just a travel diary of things we experience. 💙

29/06/2024

BACKSTREET TREASURES

Most often in life we have to take a detour to be surprised by beauty and hidden gems. A bougainvillea asks to be photographed, specially against bright and random colours.

28/06/2024

LACE FLOWERS

Travel Sketch #10/2024

A few roadside pickings to make our house feel more like a home. x