Karen Dudley (born 5 January 1968)[2] is a South African chef, food writer, and restaurateur. She is best known for her restaurant, The Kitchen in Woodstock, Cape Town,[3] which was visited by former First Lady Michelle Obama in June 2011.[4]

Karen Dudley
Born (1968-01-05) 5 January 1968 (age 56)
Occupations
  • Chef
  • restaurateur
  • author
Websitekarendudley.co.za
Michelle Obama and Karen Dudley during the 1st Lady's visit to The Kitchen in June 2011.

Karen has appeared on CNN[5] and TEDx[6] and has been interviewed by The New York Times[7] and The Guardian.[8] She has been a guest judge on the reality cooking show My Kitchen Rules South Africa and is often interviewed on national TV.[9][10][11][12]

The Kitchen

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Dudley established The Kitchen in April 2009 after her catering business had outgrown her own home.[13][14][15] The restaurant specializes in vegetable-led cuisine, salads and their signature Love Sandwich.[16] The restaurant was permanently closed in May 2020 after the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown and its effect on South Africa.[17][18]

Reception

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South African food blogger Andy Fenner has described Dudley as "a genius with vegetables and teasing flavour out of simple things".[19] Yolisa Qunta of Daily Maverick noted that her work is "driven by community" and that the recipes which she shares with the public "emphasise the texture and flavour of fresh produce and finding the perfect condiments and relishes to compliment."[20]

Books

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Karen Dudley has three books to her name,

  • A Week in The Kitchen (2012, Jacana Media; ISBN 9781431403370)[21]
  • Another Week in The Kitchen (2013, Jacana Media; ISBN 9781431408412)[22]
  • Set a Table (2018, Jacana Media; ISBN 9781431427574)[23]

References

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  1. ^ Schmid, Philipp (30 July 2014). "Karen Dudley – The Kitchen". CreativeMornings. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Karen Dudley Picks Her Top Restaurants of 2020". The Inside Guide. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Karen Dudley". Crush Mag Online. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  4. ^ Shapshak, Toby (26 June 2011). "Obama blows away Woodstock". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Karen Dudley – Connecting with people through food". CNN. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Karen Dudley: Love Sandwich". TEDx Cape Town. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  7. ^ Miller, Josey (19 May 2010). "Woodstock, South Africa, Sees a Revival". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  8. ^ Dunford, Jane (6 February 2015). "Chef Karen Dudley on Cape Town, South Africa". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  9. ^ "#MKRSA: Its the semi – finals". iOL. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. ^ SABC Digital News (30 November 2018). "Chef Karen Dudley on her new book "Set a Table"". SAVC. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Karen Dudley on Expresso Morning Show". Facebook. Expresso Show. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  12. ^ Coleman, Bianca (17 December 2021). "A TOAST: Karen Dudley's journey from cooking at The Kitchen to cooking at home". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  13. ^ Sleet, Vicki (27 March 2020). "In The Kitchen With Karen Dudley And Family". House and Leisure. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  14. ^ True, Cold. "q & a with karen dudley of the kitchen". B-Guided Cape Town. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  15. ^ Cotterell, Gary (10 December 2016). "Karen Dudley at The Kitchen on her memories of food and 'scandalous' cooking". Wanted. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Restaurants in Cape Town: The Kitchen in Woodstock". Cape Town Magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  17. ^ "'The Kitchen' in Cape Town closes its doors". iOL. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  18. ^ Froneman, Anita (29 May 2020). "Beloved The Kitchen closes its doors". Cape Town ETC. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  19. ^ Coleman, Bianca (22 May 2020). "Order up a gourmet kit and DIY". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  20. ^ Qunta, Yolisa (30 April 2020). "Culinary wizards switch from their restaurants to coaching home cooks". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  21. ^ Dudley, Karen; Wasserfall, Russel (2012). A Week in the Kitchen. Jacana Media. ISBN 9781431403370.
  22. ^ Dudley, Karen (2013). Another Week in the Kitchen. Jacana Media. ISBN 9781431408412.
  23. ^ Dudley, Karen (2018). Set a Table. Jacana Media (Pty) Limited. ISBN 9781431427574.