The family that bakes together...

Great SA Bake-Off alumnus Teddy Zaki turned his passion for pastry into an incredible family business that celebrates their Lebanese heritage

- BERYL MENEZES

ZAKI FAMILY MENU

STARTERS

• Kibbeh nayee (raw kibbeh)

• Fattoush salad Accompaniments: Chilli, onion and mint relish, olive oil and flatbread

MAINS

• Bazella ma’a rooz (lamb-and-pea casserole) served with rooz il faifal (rice with vermicelli noodles)

• Shish tawook (marinated chicken kebabs) served with toum (garlic sauce) and batata harra (chilli potatoes)

DESSERT

• Knafeh (Middle Eastern cheese dessert) served with attar (rose syrup) and ahweh (Lebanese coffee)

THE AROMA OF FRESHLY BAKED MA’AMOUL COOKIES GREETS ME as I enter the Zaki home in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Then I am ambushed by Winston, the family’s two-year-old French bulldog, who is eager to make friends. A long table overflowing with Lebanese delicacies is the focal point of the living room, where Teddy Zaki offers a warm welcome.

The story behind Just Teddy Fine Boulangerie & Pâtisserie in Hyde Park Corner is as full of passion and pride as the man himself. Teddy started baking at the age of five and, prior to his TV debut on BBC’s The Great South African Bake Offin 2016, he was in the habit of baking croissants, flapjacks and scones for the family on most Sunday mornings. When not running the family’s property business, he used his free time to experiment with recipes from his collection of 1 000-odd pastry books.