Born in a small village near Hammanskraal in the rural northern outskirts of Pretoria, Rose Kekana never imagined she would one day become one of Alexandra’s most beloved food vendors. She first moved to Alex to complete a learnership programme while helping a relative with babysitting duties. In 2014, she secured a job at a major retail chain — a stable income and a promising path. But life took an unexpected turn when her child developed a serious heart condition. With no option but to choose between career and caretaking, she made the brave decision to resign and return home full-time.

Rather than seeing it as a setback, Rose turned her circumstances into opportunity. She noticed that her community had a gap — people were hungry, but there was no reliable source of home-cooked meals in the area. So she began cooking. What started as a survival tactic quickly grew into Rose Gold Food Cuisine — a hotspot that now serves a broad range of African dishes tailored to different tastes and preferences. From hearty stews to lighter plates, her food is more than a meal; it’s comfort, culture and consistency.

But entrepreneurship comes with rhythm. On good days — often month-end rush — she makes between R800 and R1,200 in sales. Yet, on quieter mid-month days, she sometimes brings in as little as R100 to R300, making financial planning difficult.

Still, her resilience doesn’t waver. Rose’s dream is bigger than her current stall. She envisions growing Rose Gold Food Cuisine into a lifestyle corner restaurant, expanding into multiple townships, and creating a space where food, music, culture and connection live under one roof. For her, cooking isn’t just income — it’s the vehicle to build something lasting.