Munir Sheikh is the chef and owner of Mother India, a food stall in Stellenbosch. Mother India is more than a name. He hails from Pakistan and draws inspiration from his mother in all he does. After a quick walk for coffee together, Sheikh sat down with SMF News’ Iman Allie to discuss his life.
Munir Sheikh, chef and owner of Mother India, behind the counter of his cart. Sheikh and his employees prepare orders at their cart in a semi-outdoor area, lined with other food carts, tables, and chairs at CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Iman Allie
Munir Sheik spends the majority of his days cooking at his business, Mother India, located at CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch.
When he is not cooking for his customers, he is cooking for underprivileged children at a madrasa (school for Islamic studies) in Athlone, Cape Town weekly.
“I love what I’m doing, because I’m doing it with my heart,” says Sheikh.
Sheikh inherited his passion for cooking from his mother, who played a vital role in shaping the person he is today.
A mother’s lifelong influence begins
The now 45-year-old was born and raised in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He is the youngest of eleven children. He believes this made him the closest to his mother.
“I always tried to help my mother in the kitchen,” says Sheikh. “That’s where I mostly learned food from.”
Sheikh’s mother only fed Sheikh and his siblings healthy food and taught them how to use different spices and herbs, such as turmeric powder and dhanya (coriander) powder, as medicine. Sheikh claims that, by following his mother’s health advice, he has never had to pay the doctor a visit.
Sheikh’s mother, Karamat Shaheen, was well-educated, according to Sheikh, and was the president of the Ladies Youth Wing in Pakistan. Shaheen was the one to teach Sheikh and his siblings to speak English.
Mother India is a food stall based at CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch. The stall specialises in Punjabi cuisine, according to Munir Sheikh, owner and chef of Mother India. PHOTO: Iman Allie
Entering the food industry
In line with his love for cooking, Sheikh proceeded to study cooking and economics at the Government Graduate College Asghar Mall in Rawalpindi.
There, he captained the college’s soccer team, Muhadal. He played right and forward.
After graduating, Sheikh moved to the Netherlands, and then to Ireland, where he worked at various restaurants.
However, his mother remained in Pakistan and was quite upset when he suddenly decided to settle in South Africa 14 years ago.
“The honest reason is: I got robbed,” says Sheikh on why he moved to South Africa. “They took my passport and everything.”
He originally travelled to South Africa to visit a friend and was robbed while on holiday.
“So, during that period to get my documents right, I met people. I met good people, I met bad people,” he says. “And then I decided: ‘Let’s start a restaurant here actually. Even if I want to go to Europe, I’ll open another one there. But let’s start from here.’ And that’s when I stayed.”
Starting a life in South Africa
Before Sheikh was able to open his own restaurant, he worked at other restaurants, including Maharaj in Hout Bay.
He recalls facing many challenges during this period, one of them being underpaid by an employer.
“I was challenged. And I knew I was getting these challenges because they know I’m not from here,” says Sheikh. “And they were hard challenges, but I never responded. I always said: ‘No problem’. I always trusted God. I knew my time would come.”
Spreading his mother’s cooking
Eventually, Sheikh opened his own restaurant, Indian Punjabi Food, with Lorna Hardie, a business partner, in 2012. The restaurant was located on Hardie’s horse riding farm, Fat Pony, in Joostenberg Vlakte.
The restaurant served Indian cuisine. Sheikh cooked using his mother’s exact recipes, with the purpose of spreading her food.
Apart from running the restaurant, Sheikh and Hardie ran a food truck outside the restaurant and occasionally sold food at markets, including ones in Stellenbosch.
“To work with someone who has such a passion is very inspiring,” says Hardie. “As far as ethics go… when Munir is preparing a dish, only the best ingredients are used. There are no shortcuts and the proof is in the taste. His cleanliness is next to godliness, as they say.”
“Munir is a people-person, very popular, and always has an interesting story to tell,” she says. “He is honest and trustworthy; a rare quality these days.”
Becoming Mother India
When it came time to register Indian Punjabi Food in 2018, Sheikh made the decision to rename his restaurant. He registered his restaurant as Mother India.
This new name is a tribute to Sheikh’s mother, who passed away nine years ago, before the restaurant was opened, and further as a homage to his cultural roots.
“My mother died,” he says. “That’s why I gave the name […] I want to continue her wishes.”
“Why ‘Mother India’?” says Sheikh. “Because before 1947, Pakistan and India [were] one country. That’s why the civilisations and everything are the same. But just because of religion, Pakistan became separate.”
Mother India’s stall at CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch. Munir Sheikh, chef and owner of Mother India, dedicates his life to his love of cooking to cope with the loss of his mother, whom he lost in 2016, he said. PHOTO: Iman Allie
Mother India moves to Stellenbosch
The Covid-19 lockdown created financial issues for Mother India, causing the restaurant to close down in 2020. Sheikh then decided to move Mother India to Stellenbosch.
“I wanted to come to Stellenbosch, because we were already doing markets here and it’s a safe place,” he says.
He continues to cook and sell his mother’s food as a vendor at CoCreate Hub, where he has three employees.
“I don’t think I’ve seen somebody care for people around him like Munir does,” says Ashlyn Nelson, one of Sheikh’s employees.
Nelson is an American exchange student who is completing her fourth year in international business and anthropology at Stellenbosch University (SU).
“Making sure he never owes anybody. Always taking care of everybody. Always making sure there’s food in their stomach, that everyone gets paid on time, that everyone gets a hug,” she says.
Azelle Geldenhuys, another of Sheik’s employees and a third-year BEd (Foundation Phase) student at SU, explains that she occasionally works at Mother India because she “felt led to” by Sheikh’s warm personality, and to learn how to cook Indian cuisine from him.
Leighton September, who is a regular at CoCreate Hub, says Sheikh tried to help him in the planning stages of a recent business venture.
“I told Munir about this market in my suburb, and he instantly thought of what he could give me to sell at my stall,” says September. “He came up with the idea of [selling] a snack called samosas.”
“I always like to help people,” says Sheikh. “If I can give money, I’ll give money. If I can help with my food, I’ll give food. If somebody needs advice, I’ll help with advice. So, I try to keep people on the right path. Because I know that sometimes life can be very hard, and sometimes words can change your life.”
Munir Sheikh stands behind the counter of his cart awaiting customers. Sheikh is the chef and owner of Mother India, a food stall located at CoCreate Hub, Stellenbosch. Prior to relaunching Mother India as a food stall at CoCreate Hub, Mother India was a restaurant, according to Sheikh. PHOTO: Iman Allie
Making a difference through cooking
Sheikh hopes to open another branch called Mother India 2 within the next four years. Mother India 2 will be a non-profit branch, dedicated to feeding underprivileged children.
Growing up, his mother always encouraged him to give to the needy.
He emphasises that the purpose of Mother India was never to make money, but to spread his mother’s food.
“It’s not about money. It’s about love. Because I love my mother more than anything in this world,” says Sheikh. “So, when I’m cooking, it always reminds me that my mother is still inside. When I cook food for people, it is because I still have my mother inside of me.”
Mother India’s menu boards are placed in front of its food cart. Butter chicken is the most popular order among customers, according to Munir Sheikh, chef and owner of Mother India. However, his favourite dish is his vegetable dish with roti, says Sheikh. PHOTO: Iman Allie