South African musician turns culinary skills into a thriving business

Joao Da Fonseca or J’Something as millions of his fans know him, is the frontman of the award-winning South African house music group Mi Casa.

When J’Something isn’t on stage leading the band’s vocals, he’s busy experimenting with new ways to tickle tastebuds.

“Food for me is a pleasure. Food for me is a blessing. It is the knowledge of understanding what food does for someone and why it is so important, the most important element of life. So it’s a hobby. It has become a job because it is something I absolutely love. I like to cook, I like to eat, I love to watch, I love to watch food. I love food”, celebrity chef and musician J’something said.

The crooner has leveraged his musical influence and passion for the culinary arts into a thriving business – A high end restaurant in Pretoria.

It all started six years ago when a video of a roasted chicken he had prepared went viral.

“To think that a post on Instagram has become a cooking show. I’ve been doing food like a job for five years, it’s phenomenal. I have cooked with the best chefs in the world. Literally. I have been the headliner of the biggest cooking festivals in South Africa and I have been the headliner of cooking festivals in Africa. I got my own cookbook from this post. I have my own restaurant thanks to this job”, he explained.

At his restaurant ‘Something’s Cooking By J’Something’, the chef serves up dishes featuring flavors from his Portuguese heritage fused with hearty South African dishes.

His culinary combinations and signature cocktails have proved popular with his social media fans who follow his posts through the #somethingscooking.

“I saw his YouTube channel and his show. He had a show on SABC 3 actually. He had…… I think two or three years ago. A few months ago, when I first saw him. What he did was really, really, really, really, really, well. So I was really interested in that kind of thing. So his food is actually very, very impressive and very attractive. So I was like,‘okay cool, let’s see what his story is about”, a diner Leroy Radebe noted.

By combining talent and creativity, the musician turned chef has been able to use his fame and knowledge to create a name for himself in the restaurant industry.

Reuters