From Instagram posts to cookbook pages: @dinewithneo – my insta feast brings fun into the kitchen
On a mission to ‘ban boring’, Neo Nontso, the Instagram sensation better known as @dinewithneo and queen of having fun in the kitchen, has taken her Instagram fan-favourite recipes and turned them into one spectacular cookbook: @dinewithneo – my insta feast! Nontso’s debut cookbook, released by Quivertree Publications, will officially launch nationwide on 13 October 2022.
While the lockdown of 2020 sank many of us deeper into our couches, Nontso grew her already expansive fan base on Instagram by giving the people something they desperately wanted but couldn’t have: fast food. At the peak of the pandemic, restaurants and takeaway spots were closed for business, leaving South African consumers craving the fried chicken, juicy burgers and sweet treats they didn’t normally make at home. It was during this time that Nontso started putting recipes for things like KFC-inspired fried chicken, corn dogs, quesadillas, pizzas, burgers, churros and doughnuts on her Instagram channel, instantly capturing the attention (and stomachs) of foodies everywhere.
Over two years later, now with a whopping 316k devoted Instagram followers, @dinewithneo is one of the most popular local foodfluencers, featuring all types of recipes that make cooking easier for beginners. From classic South African dishes like chakalaka, oxtail stew and Mogudu (tripe) to internationally-inspired favourites like paella, burritos and sticky BBQ wings, @dinewithneo covers all taste and skill demands.
The most requested of these recipes are now all together in one fabulously fun cookbook, along with Nontso’s top tricks, cooking terminology, kitchen kit, her go-to-grocery list and baking vs grilling options. @dinewithneo fans can expect over 150 pages of recipes split into categories such as Dirty Dining (fast food), Weekend Special (dishes for special occasions), Pasta la Vista (all sorts of pastas), Something on the Side (winning side dishes), and Sweet Cravings (desserts and treats). Of course, the cookbook will also include Neo’s hearty recipes like lamb potjie, prawn curry, creamy chicken stew and spaghetti Bolognese that are treasured by home cooks across the nation.
Raised in East London, the author grew up around a family of exceptional cooks, quickly developing her own passion for cooking. ”Food and family went hand in hand when I was a child,” says Nontso. “In my gran’s house, the kitchen was the heart of the home. It was where people would eat, cry, get shouted at and apologise. If anyone was in trouble, we’d deal with it in the kitchen; if someone was happy or had good news, we’d hear it in the kitchen. Out of the
chaos and the discipline grew my love affair with cooking.”
It was with this familial spirit in mind, and after much persuasion from her friends, that Nontso started her @dinewithneo handle in 2017 to document her cooking. Hundreds of followers soon became hundreds of thousands, all hungry for more of her delicious and easy-to-follow recipes that captured the best of comfort food. Food campaigns, sponsorships and being invited to judge the World Class Bartender competition followed, as did the launch of her own dark kitchen on Uber Eats, her herbs and spices brand DWN, and now, the new @dinewithneo – my insta feast cookbook.
@dinewithneo – my insta feast is available online via various local retailers, and at leading local bookstores. For more information visit www.quivertreepublications.com.
