Nick Hamman wants to help the local economy by enticing people to seek out township barbecues and family-run sandwich shops
S
olly’s Corner, a fast food restaurant in downtown Johannesburg, was bustling. Slabs of hake and golden chips sizzled, green chillies were being chopped and homemade sauces distributed liberally into packed sandwiches.
Food influencer and radio DJ Nick Hamman stepped behind the counter and was greeted as an old friend by Yoonas and Mohammed Akhalwaya, the father-son duo behind the family business in Fordsburg, a historical south Asian and Middle Eastern area.
Hamman, who has more than 200,000 followers on both Instagram and TikTok, has made it his mission for the past two years to boost food businesses across South Africa, highlighting the country’s diverse cuisine and bringing South Africans together across their often divided cultures.
