If your student diet was anything like ours, a menu based upon it would largely comprise toast and two-minute noodles. But for James Kriel and Talton Cooke, the three years they spent living in digs together were characterised by vibrant, healthy meals. Since then, the pair decided to share their passion for good food by starting a mobile kitchen with their own hand-crafted food bar.

The duo has taken said mobile kitchen to different events and markets in and around KZN, including Splashy Fen and the Clarence Beer Festival, but it hasn’t been an easy road. “It’s been hard work getting off the ground with a market that includes new competitors almost weekly,” the pair explain. With that in mind, the duo decided to start a fresh new venture for the Durban area. Their mobile kitchen will now be opening a stand-alone store on Durban North’s Mackeurtan Avenue.

A photo posted by TDK Headquaters (@the_digs_kitchen) on Apr 27, 2015 at 3:03pm PDT

The store will bring Durbanites fresh and healthy on-the-go salads, sandwiches, wraps and cold-pressed juices. There will also be a nifty coffee bar for those looking to grab a quick caffeine fix on the way to work. “We want simple, quick and efficient,” explains James. “We have realised how hard it is to get something healthy and fast without having to stop off at a mall or go down the takeaway route to save time.”

Inspired by the street food movement in New York, the pair will also be throwing some slow-cooked meat into the mix; think slow-roasted lamb, pork and beef brisket buns and sliders. The new eatery will be situated right outside the Hope Meats butchery, popular for its range of hormone-free, grass-fed and antibiotic-free meat, and which will partner as their meat supplier.

 

 

A photo posted by TDK Headquaters (@the_digs_kitchen) on Feb 18, 2015 at 12:09pm PST

 

Having become almost-famous (at least at local markets) for their fresh, cold-pressed juices, customers can look forward to refreshing summer favourites such as the watermelon with a beet juice (watermelon, beetroot, lemon and mint); pastor pineapple (pineapple, mango, ginger, coconut water and fresh vanilla) and the honeydew heat (melon, cucumber, lemon and mint). The juices will be stocked in the store as well as made fresh on site for takeaways.

The digs mates are set to open on 4 November. Stay tuned to Eat Out for updates.

A photo posted by TDK Headquaters (@the_digs_kitchen) on Apr 20, 2015 at 6:53am PDT