SHEM CIRCUITS: FOOD & SPICE TOUR

Fordsburg with Chef Ishvara

Fordsburg is one of Johannesburg's most undervisited neighbourhoods — and one of its most alive. Pakistani sweet shops, Ayurvedic medicine traders, Syrian baklava, Gujarati spice merchants, Palestinian shwarma stands, Bengali tailors, Arabic juice bars. The whole of the Middle East and South Asia, compressed into a few remarkable blocks.

Most Jo'burgers drive past it on the way somewhere else. This Saturday, we go in properly.

Chef Ishvara — who has spent years travelling and cooking across India and the Middle East — will guide a small group through Fordsburg's immigrant communities: their food, their histories, their recipes, and what it means to build a life and a culture in this city.

There will be tastings along the way, conversations worth having, ingredients worth buying, and an optional sit-down lunch at the end.

WHERE: Meet at the Spice Shop, 52 Central Rd, Fordsburg

WHEN: Saturday 30 May 2026, 10:00

COST: R350 per person | R175 for children under 12

PARKING: Central Rd or Mint Rd — or just Uber in.

This is a walking circuit. Wear comfortable shoes.