Biography
Cook, traveler, father, husband, filmmaker, urban farmer, custodian...and not particularly in that order.
Filmmaker, father, cook, traveler, urban farmer and author Justin Bonello was the founder of Cooked in Africa Films in 2003. To date, he has produced, presented and created over 28 television series and delivered more than 180 hours of programming across various genres to broadcasters as diverse as BBC International, Sky Network, National Geographic, Discovery, Food Network, Travel Channel, Netflix and local South African broadcasters MNET, ETV and SABC - to name but a few.
Known as South Africa's bush cook, he created and presented 7 seasons of South Africa's award-winning reality show, the Ultimate Braai Master, aired locally on ETV and internationally on the Travel Channel, Discovery Network and Netflix.
He is passionate about wild nature and is in pre-production of a 6-part television series that focuses on the Leopards of the Cape Fold Mountains. He says, 'It only takes 30 seconds to become a conservationist, and the first time I held a leopard in my arms... my 30 seconds turned into a life-long compulsion to do all I could to save the remnants of wild nature that surround our urban and rural environments,' and has just completed a new 10 part series called Bushcook, distributed by ORF.
He is the CEO and founder of Neighbourhood Farms NPC, an urban farming social enterprise that is sowing seeds to fix a broken food system by providing children and community members with real edible education.
He is the custodian of Keurbosfontein in the Red Cederberg where he hosts intimate Escapes for small groups of friends or families to Escape the stimulation pollution of modern lives.
Married to Eugenie, father of three children, Daniel, Samuel and Gabriella. He the Cederberg and is passionate gardener that believes we can grow a lot of what we eat if we just apply our minds.
He is happiest when he is in the great outdoors travelling through Southern Africa, film crew in tow, showing the world what an amazing country he lives in.
