The 35-year-old is best known for starring as Dora in the 1 Magic telenovela The River and hosting season 12 of Our Perfect Wedding. She wrote the cookbook The Funny Chef’s Delicious Dishes.
Lebogang Tlokana
Lebogang Tlokana’s funny way of delivering her dishes has made her one of the most loved chefs across the country.
Quick Facts
Real Name:
Lebogang Tlokana
Born:
22 March 1990 (age 35 years)
Place of birth:
Pretoria, South Africa
Nationality:
South African
Occupation:
Internet personality, professional chef, presenter, actor
2010-date
Known for:
Our Perfect Wedding (season 12)
Early Life
The Funny Chef was born Lebogang Tlokana on 22 March 1990 in Pretoria, South Africa. She grew up in the suburb of Theresa Park and attended an Afrikaans school. Being the only black girl in the school, she experienced racism and was left out.
She developed an interest in cooking from observing her mother cook for her family.
Education
Tlokana failed grades 9 and 10 in high school, which led to her departure from college. In college, she obtained a qualification equivalent to a matric.
She was marketing management. Her father enrolled her in a cooking school, where she passed and studied culinary arts.
Career
Lebogang began to work in restaurants and hotels. She became the head chef at Thulani Game Lodge and Amp, Eco Estate in Thabazimbi.
After working at the hotel, she launched The Funny Chef in 2010. She became confident that the content would drive many views and was persistent.
Eventually, she appeared in comedy movies alongside comedian David Kau. She then did a cooking show on SABC1 and landed the role of Dora Phakathi in the award-winning telenovela The River.
Lebogang later joined the South African Chef’s Association. In 2018, she became noticed as a comedian after doing a video imitating what a Pretoria girl would do if she discovered she had R14 million.
Tlokana has appeared in other television shows, including The Big Bozza Cookoff on Honey TV. She appeared in Leeto la Taxi, a film by David Kau, and has hosted Dstv Mzansi Viewer’s Choice awards and SABC 1’s Plate It Up.
The Pretoria-born hosted season 12 of the television series Our Perfect Wedding. She is a National Best Seller Cook Book Author and wrote the cookbook The Funny Chef’s Delicious Dishes. It is her first cookbook publication, where she shares recipes for soups, flavor dishes, and more in the book.
Adding to her résumé is being a philanthropist. She donated R250,000 to Rhema Children’s Village in Johannesburg, an establishment for orphaned, abused, and underprivileged children.
Lebogang Tlokana is a TV presenter among other things. She hosts the SABC1 cooking show Plate It Up.
Personal Life
Lebogang Tlokana is married and has confirmed her lobola ceremony.
