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At the beginning of April 2021, a new restaurant quietly opened at 88 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town, called TTK Fledgelings. But it’s no ordinary restaurant.
Oh you’ll be welcomed and served professionally, and you’ll get amazing food – at really reasonable prices too. What sets this place apart from the rest is that it is a hands-on training ground for people who are willing to work hard and learn hard for a potential future in the hospitality industry, gaining their knowledge from experts and professionals in the business, all while earning a salary.
Sandalene Dale-Roberts. (Photo: Bianca Coleman)
TTK stands for The Test Kitchen, the famous restaurant at the Old Biscuit Mill in Salt River, created and run by Luke Dale-Roberts; Fledgelings occupies the space that was formerly Shortmarket Grill (another restaurant in the group along with Pot Luck Club), and is the realisation of a years-long desire of Sandalene Dale-Roberts to open a skills school. It was born not of Covid, but during Covid, and draws together threads of relationships, job creation, empowerment and mentorship. Plus, they were paying the rent on the premises, so why not put it to good use?