Cooking up a celebrity lifestyle

Nene's fig yogurt cake.

The more we show ourselves, the better it will be for our country's cuisine."

Her story also encourages people, especially the young, to follow their dream in the kitchen.

Nene is a mentor for potential young chefs. She teaches those who are uncertain if they really want to follow such a path and shows them what the work is like, as she used to do in the UK. Many of her interns have become successful foodies working for magazines.

On the road to success, Nene has enjoyed the strong and constant support of her family.

Born and raised in a Zulu home, Nene did not have too many restrictions imposed by her family. On the contrary, her father showed great support when she felt confused about her future.

Days before her final exam at law school, she became hesitant about whether to continue on her path toward becoming a lawyer.

"I called my dad and he said, 'You can't do anything that you don't love to do. Stop everything, come home and we will talk about it'," Nene recalls. "So I came home without even taking the exam."

With encouragement and help from her parents, Nene managed to travel to the UK and learn to become a chef.

Her sources of support also included her grandmother and mother. In one chapter of her book, Nene gives recipes she learned from them.

"Every single recipe in the book has a story and a reason why it influenced me in some way. These recipes recall a certain time in my life and meant something to me at that time."

She jokes that her strictest critic — nowadays one of her fans — is her elder brother.

"I remember when I quit law school, he called me 'quitter'," Nene says. "But guess who thinks I'm the coolest person today? My brother — somebody who thought I was such a failure. He now invites his friends to meet me because he thinks I've done so well. That's the major success for me."

Yet, there have been challenges, difficulties and even criticism during her journey.

"Nobody starts out knowing what they are doing. When

I started my job as a chef, I didn't know what being a chef entailed or how things were run in a professional kitchen.

So at that time the biggest challenge was to find a place that would accept me, when

I didn't have any skills, and to trust me and my ability."

Fortunately, a Manchester restaurant made an offer to Nene. She grasped it and started out doing basic work like peeling vegetables.

Being a public figure has brought Nene some unexpected criticism.

"There are many people who think I don't deserve the opportunities

I have been given. But it's OK. Everyone should have their own opinions. "I just follow my passion and don't let them bother me. I take it and then move on."

For people who may not know where their passion lies, Nene has a suggestion.

"It's never too late to find it. So just keep seeking it. And I always encourage everybody to do what they think their passion is right now," she says.

liuxuan@chinadaily.com.cn