Inspirational Women : Marina Appelbaum
Patrons of The Old Ducky French Café and Nikos in Pineslopes in Fourways, are very familiar with this classy proprietor, Marina Appelbaum. Warm, stylish, striking and with a big smile, Marina has a place in the hearts of everyone that know her.
The Old Ducky is a whimsical take on a traditional French Café, with modern French panache. This unique culinary adventure was designed with Freda Appelbaum, Marina’s mother-in-law. Freda is of course the woman behind the most beloved restaurant Le Canard – which ran from 1987 to 2013. Le Canard was an elegant silver service restaurant in a Georgian style home in Morningside, with high ceilings and a scattering of French Antiques, lovely fresh flowers, polished silver, Bohemian crystal and German porcelain. Despite the grandeur, it was a warm, comforting atmosphere, and most Johannesburg residents frequented there to celebrate important events in their lives. Freda was one of the few women chefs in the world to be awarded the title a ‘Disciple of Escoffier’.
Le Canard saw a stream of personalities enjoying the food, from Mandela, Quincy Jones, Kofi Annan, Bill Gates and royalty. Freda was far too grounded to care about such things, to her what was happening in the kitchen was more important. Her laurels were simply placed in the pot with herbs!
Marina grew up in the kitchen of her family’s Three Sisters Restaurant, another classic. It was the most iconic meeting place in Hillbrow’s hey-day. After her post graduate studies, Marina pursued the international culinary world in London, becoming the assistant to the manager of The Ritz in Mayfair. In Hillbrow Marina had learnt to engage with all sorts of people, at The Ritz with royalty and aristocracy, gaining invaluable experience from both, learning that ‘people are people, irrespective of race, nationality and social class’.
On her return to South Africa, she reopened The Three Sisters in Rosebank and it quickly became the place to meet.
After the birth of her first child, Marina could not sustain the seventeen hour shifts that a restaurant demanded, and she used her academic background in psychology to catapult herself into the world of life skills training and activism. Her skills became a precursor for Life Orientation (LO) that is now being taught at schools. During this time she developed an awareness program for Standard Bank on HIV / Aids. Unsurprisingly, this program was soon used in over thirteen countries and she won various awards for excellence.
This led to the decision to overcome the stigma attached to talking about HIV / AIDS by writing a book, which was illustrated. That book has now sold over 380,000 copies, is in it’s twentieth edition and has been translated into several languages. [Illustrations were done by Sifiso Yalo from the Sowetan Newspaper]
As her kids grew up, Marina felt the need to venture back into the restaurant world, first with RocoMamas and then Nikos in Pineslopes. But a French Café was always her dream, and with her persuasion skills, she managed to get Freda to come out of retirement and assist in creating a unique, and charming Café.
Marina is the epitome of style and elegance, and her support of artists and creatives has made her much loved. Here are a few of her favorite things:
Who inspires you?
I know this sounds corny but my husband who encourages and supports me 100 per cent.
What is your favorite pastime?
Lying in a hot bath reading a book.
Where is your favorite destination?
Oia, in Santorini.
What is your favorite hotel?
Hands down, The Imperial in Delhi.
Second best?
Le Sirenuse in Positano.
What music do you listen to?
I enjoy lots of genres from Jazz to Opera.
Favourite artist?
Nina Simone.
If you can own a work by any artist, who would it be?
I do collect art and right now I’m blown away by Yinka Shonibare work.
He is a Nigerian Artist.
Favorite movies?
Blade Runner - The original with Harrison Ford [Stanley Kubrick]
Shrek - Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz [Andrew Adamson]
The Green Book - Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali [Peter Farrelly]
Favorite books?
The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
The Year of Facing Fire - Helena Kriel
Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Stand - Stephen King
If you could be anywhere now, where would that be?
Right now, in my mom’s kitchen in Cyprus, with her, chatting and making dinner for our big fat Greek family.
Where do you feel most at peace?
Lying on a bed with crisp white cotton sheets, and listening to the waves crashing beneath .
Ah the sea!
Favorite restaurants?
Arpège in Paris.
La Petite Colombe in Franschhoek.
Your life credo?
It is what it is!
Biggest lesson learnt from 2020?
My own resilience in the face of adversity.
Planes, trains, or automobiles?
Planes [the smaller the better]
What is your wish for this year?
To see my family who are residing in different parts of the world.
Favorite fashion brand?
Etro.
What have your learnt from your business?
I love this saying as it always resonates with me - If you do something you love, it never feels like work. So run a business with passion and it will always be rewarding.
Life is after all short, so do something you love.
