“Food unites. Food is made to be shared”, reflects Jill van As. Her cookbook-meets-memoir, The Epicurean Journal, published February 2023, connects “food with memory, identity and healing.” The next installment of The Epicurean Journal: The Full Story, is scheduled for publication in 2026. Van As’ love of food was kindled by her mom and granny: “What they taught me most was that food is love – that everything you make in love will always be amazing.” Her gran taught her that “a single plate of food can change someone else life”. Read about her calling as a culinary storyteller and the classes and events that she facilities, which provide a safe non-judgmental space for people to share their stories:

TheCapeRobyn: Did you set out to create a “cookbook-meets-memoir that links food with memory, identity, and healing” or was it initially a journal for therapeutic purposes which led to a book? Have you always loved cooking?

Jill van As: I always loved cooking.  Cooking, was where I spent time with my mother and grandmother. My mother, Benita Roberts, catered for important events – for instance her cousin’s birthdays and weddings. She did the catering for my wedding. Food is the center of our family. We all can cook. Every event is always celebrated with food. There is always enough for those who pop in – no invitation needed. My granny taught me that food is love. Food unites. Food is made to be shared. She brought people home, from the streets and gave them a place to stay. They ate what we ate. That is how she showed me that food is love; that a single plate of food can change someone else life. She showed kindness through food.


The Epicurean Journal was born in Covid. A friend and photographer Clint Alexander said: “Let’s do some work together.” He is based in Georgia, Atlanta and I am in Cape Town, so naturally my response was: “How?” That became a reality when he came to Cape Town in March 2022 and he photographed a variety of dishes. Every dish sparked a memory: Great memories of my family, my granny and not so great memories of trauma. When compiling the recipes, I began to think deeper about the book. What would set my cookbook apart from others? I wanted to honour my memories of food and cooking dishes, Storytelling through food was birthed. It then became a healing journey – to honour my granny who passed on August 9, 2017; to share the memories of my mom who was on dialysis at that stage. It became importantly a way to process my own healing from the past traumas of rape, my fertility journey with miscarriages. It became more than a cookbook. It became my healing; my act of kindness to help others heal.

TCR: Did you study cooking formally or are you self-taught?

JVA: I studied Hotel and Operations management at Damelin Campus which was in Cape Town at the time, because I did not want to only to be a chef. I wanted options. I wanted to run the hotel. However, I was always drawn to the kitchen. It was something I saw my mom, Benita Roberts do, my grannies, my father, my aunts, and uncles. So, it was something that came naturally. I could cook a pot of food at age nine, yes not just fry an egg, but a pot of stew or curry. Both my parents worked. I needed to take care of my sister after school, tidy up and cook dinner. My dad, Melvyn Roberts, was a pastor for the New Apostolic Church congregation in Franschhoek. My mother began to accompany him and support him in doing what God has called him to do. However, the times I did get to spend with my mom in the kitchen were valuable, precious times of bonding.

My major influence in cooking stems strongly from my mom and granny. Spending time with them in the kitchen I started understanding flavour profiles and different spices and cooking methods. I am a firm believer in understanding your ingredients and being able to taste the end result before you even start cooking. I learned a lot of valuable tips from my mom – things they do not teach you at school. What they taught me most was that food is love -that everything you make in love will always be amazing.

TCR: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

JVA: I grew up for the first four years of my life in Bellville South.  I was so blessed as we stayed in a semi-detached house and my grandparents were just a interlink door away. I loved every moment. As the eldest grandchild and the first daughter, you can just imagine the spoils, the love that I received. Every little thing I did was applauded, it was the first. At age four, shortly after my sister was born, we moved to Northpine. I went to Northpine Primary and I was confirmed in in the New Apostolic Church in Northpine by my grandfather. That was his last confirmation service before the retiring from his ministry. I will never forget how privileged I felt. In that service he said that if you can control the moment, you determine the rest of your life. I soon realized that all moments cannot be controlled. Shortly after that, one year later, we e moved to Brackenfell as I was in matric that year at Eben Donges High School in Kraaifontein.

The following year I started at Damelin Campus in Cape Town, and that year 1998 June I was raped. It changed my life. However, through the love and support of my parents, family, and friends I was able to cope, to deal and to heal – or so I thought. Not long after that we moved back to Bellville South, back to the home where I spent my first four years- back to a space that was safe and surrounded by family. My aunt lived next door to my grandparents, diagonally opposite us. My grandparents moved into my granny’s parental home. My granny lived in the same street for almost 91 years, and she passed in the house she was born in. This all made me feel safe. I married Garry van As in 2006 and moved to Kuilsriver. This December [205], we will celebrate being married 19 years. I would not change a thing, there is nobody else I would want to do life with. We wanted to start a family and soon realized it would be a daunting task and our journey of fertility started. Throughout this journey – the highs – and especially the lows Garry always told me: “I married you Jill. I love you and yes it would be great to start a family as a product of our love but it does not change the way I feel about you”. At the same time as our fertility journey, we started our company Vibe Events and Catering and continue to work together as a team. Losing a child through miscarriage is a real loss. It changes you forever.

All I have experienced and been through in my life has molded me to who I am today, broken, healed, and put together through: Gods love and grace. I go into detail in my book about my journey.

TCR: And your work beyond culinary storyteller- as entrepreneur and motivational speaker?

JVA: Through my book I was invited on different platforms. Women and men came to me and expressed their gratitude for sharing my story. They felt heard and seen.  I knew then, that God called me for this purpose to share my story – to help others heal. It was not about seeking fame or recognition. It was about showing kindness through motivating and storytelling – and to make a difference.

TCR: Do you invite women to share their experiences and memories at your events? It sounds like it is cheaper than therapy and one gets to eat?

JVA: Love the humour – cheaper than therapy. From October [2025], I will be launching cooking classes. Some people are referring to the classes as Kitchen Table Talks. I may call the classes – Cooking Through Pain. We all have trauma. We have all experienced loss. We all are going through something. Through my cooking I have found clarity and healing. I want to share that with others. It is not about the skill. Is about the memories we may create in a safe non-judgemental space. I also want to change the narrative that the kitchen is a space for women only. Men also go through trauma. I am hoping that the space will give people, regardless of gender, the courage to speak about trauma and loss and find the clarity and support – through my story or from stories that others may share at the classes. I want people to see the kitchen as a space where hearts connect, where memories are made and where you find joy and peace. I will always come back to this: Food is love.

TCR: What else is on the table for 2025?

JVA: In addition to the cooking classes coming up in October, in September I want to host an event called: Look at me Now. This event is not only for women. It is for anyone who has been through the what life dishes up.  I want it to showcase how far I have come – how far we have all come. We will celebrate each other’s wins. September is a new season t- when the Spring flowers are in bloom. The sun is making its appearance and there is a spring in one step. What better way to celebrate NEW beginnings, new endeavours and just giving yourself a pat on the back and say: “Well done. You made it through. It is the time to celebrate each other, truly in the most authentic way possible by sharing food, because food is love.

TCR: Can you tell us about your new cooking book (2026), and does it follow the same format as the first book with each recipe beginning with the personal memory?

JVA: My new book, scheduled for 2026, will also be called The Epicurean Journal with a subtitle: The Full Story. The format will shift slightly, with less recipes and more story telling. The first book was a glimpse into how my journey looked. The focus was on the recipes; the food. In book two I will be sharing the full story. There will still be a handful of recipes but basically, the new book delves into the details, what my journey looked like and where it has led me to today.

TCR: Anything else to add?


JVA: Besides the kitchen I do have other things I enjoy doing like riding a motorcycle, which may I add, is amazing therapy. I love traveling, especially to tropical places. I love lying on the beach and soaking up Vitamin D. I enjoy visiting different restaurants even though I know what I like and am not that adventurous to move out of the comfort of my palate. I love spending time with my family; my family is so important to me. My family is love and we share that love through food and support each other unconditionally in everything we do.  I have a handful of friends. I believe that quality is more important than quantity. I like to celebrate the people that I love most – while they  are alive – and not have regrets – after the opportunity to show them has passed.

Caption: The kitchen is a space where hearts connect, where memories are made and where you find joy and peace. I am hoping that the space will give people, regardless of gender, the courage to speak about trauma and loss and find the clarity and support – through my story or from stories that others may share at the classes … I also want to change the narrative that the kitchen is a space for women only.