| For Kitchenboy, Fordsburg is the best |
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| Written by Lucille Davie | |
| Thursday, 02 March 2006 | |
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From Boksburg, via Belgium, Cape Town and Struisbaai, Braam Kruger is happily settled in his Fordsburg flat. The Joburg suburb is "an eater's paradise", he says. 
Kitchenboy, aka Braam Kruger
FOR Kitchenboy, aka Braam Kruger, the best place to be in Joburg is Fordsburg, which he calls his "Little India". A writer, artist and chef, Kruger moved to Fordsburg three years ago, and lives in a large flat on the second floor of what was once a factory overlooking Fordsburg square. In that time he has got to know the area's many restaurants, spice shops, delis and butchers. "Fordsburg is an astonishing experience food-wise," he says, "an eater's paradise." He has always wanted to live near a square. "This is a dream come true - I am living above an ice-cream parlour." And in every direction are the restaurants he loves. "It's beautiful; I love it." Fordsburg is crime-free, he finds, which he puts down to the suburb being largely Muslim and alcohol-free. Kruger was born in Boksburg and obtained a teachers diploma in art from the Pretoria Technical College. He also studied in Belgium and has held three art exhibitions, the last one at the Goodman Gallery in 1992. He moved to Joburg in 1985 from "Cape Town via Struisbaai", and has lived in Troyeville, Observatory and Orange Grove. Kruger says he originally came up to Joburg for an exhibition, and "Joburgers never allowed me to go back". Back in the early 1990s he wrote a food column for Playgirl magazine, under the pen name Kitchenboy. He opened a restaurant in Troyeville with the same name, later moving it to Cyrildene, Joburg's second Chinatown. It has since closed. But Kitchenboy still writes a food column for Business Day newspaper, and Kruger contributes art and restaurant reviews to other publications. He has published a cook book entitled Provocative Cuisine, described by publishers Struik as, "A stunning collection of articles and recipes, this irreverent, fun, wacky, informative, chatty book is a must-have for anyone with even the vaguest interest in food and the sensuous fun associated with it." It is believed to be the only cook book in the world with an age restriction.
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