Foodie disruptor Kenneth Tebogo Middleton just dropped Paradise, a guilt-free gospel of elevated food and he’s already deep into a second cookbook that promises even louder flavours and fewer rules
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Kenneth Middleton doesn’t plate food — he performs it. Every first bite ends the same way: a celebratory chant of “winning,” half mantra, half mic drop. His debut cookbook Paradise reads like that moment: joyful and unapologetically indulgent.
Discovered through viral kota experiments and signed by Penguin Random House, Middleton turned a social media hustle into a cookbook for people tired of dieting their way through life. His thesis is simple: pleasure belongs on the plate.
THE ANTI-GUILT KITCHEN
In a food culture obsessed with cutting carbs, shrinking portions and moralising meals, Paradise does the unthinkable — it hands you extra cheese and pours the wine.
“I wanted to create a book that says you can go all out on your food,” Middleton explained in an interview. Not daily decadence, but intentional indulgence: food as reward, memory and celebration.
TRADITION, BUT WITH A PASSPORT
Middleton doesn’t replace classics; he remixes them. Banana magwinya arrives dressed with sauces and garnishes. Seswaa gets a glow-up as “Luxury Seswaa,” maintaining its soul while stepping into fine-dining lighting.
The star of the book — and its cover — is the “private school kota,” a crunchy, texture-stacked evolution of the township icon that launched his publishing deal.
“My mind is very random, and this creates a lot of variety, and that’s how I enjoy food in a wide variety of forms,” he said.
“You also have international influences in the book, dishes from all over the world. Of course, I’ve tried to simplify them so anyone can cook them.”
FROM VIRAL TO VOLUMES
Years of content creation built a global audience across Botswana, South Africa and beyond, turning followers into first readers. For Middleton, the cookbook isn’t a merch drop — it’s a more intimate interface.
A page has no notifications. Just ingredients, steps and intention.
BOOK TWO IS ALREADY SIMMERING
Success hasn’t slowed him. He’s already drafting his second cookbook, proof that the process — testing, scrapping, reimagining — is his real addiction.
For those in Botswana, the book will be available at
Exclusive Books, Airport Junction.
PARADISE AS A PHILOSOPHY
At its core, Paradise isn’t just about recipes; it’s about permission. Permission to elevate food, to fuse cultures and to eat without apology.
In Middleton’s kitchen, indulgence isn’t excess — it’s expression. And every plate ends the same way: winning.