> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.spacesmagazine.africa/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ADD A LITTLE SALT X (CEREMONY) - URL: https://www.spacesmagazine.africa/add-a-little-salt-x-ceremony/ - Published: 2026-10-08T11:39:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T13:47:21.000Z - Author: Anette Baker - Tags: Interview, Culinary > Some of the most meaningful cultural experiences begin around a table. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5801-2.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG_6552.jpeg) @SALTXCEREMONY > Founded by attorneys and longtime friends Nali Shayi and Leah Houston, Salt x Ceremony has quickly become one of Johannesburg's most intriguing cultural experiences. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG_6529.jpeg) @SALTXCEREMONY Through carefully considered collaborations and immersive dining experiences, Salt x Ceremony is exploring how hospitality can become a form of cultural storytelling. Ahead of their latest gathering, *SPACES* spoke to the founders about creativity, community, Johannesburg, and the art of bringing people together. --- **Q: How do you approach curating an evening for a room full of strangers from across the city, many of whom you'll only meet for the first time that night? What is your intention going into each gathering, and what kind of experience do you hope people leave with?** **Leah:** For me, the biggest intention is simple: I want people to fall in love with Johannesburg again. We often focus on the challenges of the city, and while those realities exist, there's also so much beauty here. Nali and I are both attorneys, and we spent years moving through the city for work, admiring its architecture, its energy, and the character of the people who make it what it is. That's the Johannesburg we want people to experience. We've always described these dinners as a love letter to the city. That's why we choose rooftops and elevated spaces. We want guests to take in the skyline, watch the sunset, hear the sounds of the city below, and feel connected to the place they call home. The city itself becomes part of the experience. **Nali:** At the heart of it all is the idea of gathering. Both Leah and I grew up in families where coming together around a table was important. Whether it was a celebration or an ordinary Sunday, there was always space for people to gather, share a meal, and connect. When we were imagining our very first dinner, we often thought about our grandmothers. They didn't have elaborate venues, long tables, or chandeliers, but they had a remarkable gift for hospitality. They could put a few plates on a table, open their doors, and make everyone feel welcome. That's a spirit we've always wanted to carry. **Leah:** Connection is the other essential ingredient. We intentionally bring together people from different industries, backgrounds, and walks of life. Around one table, you might find a doctor, an entrepreneur, a creative, and an attorney sharing a meal and a conversation. Some of those interactions last only for the evening, while others grow into friendships, collaborations, and lasting relationships. Ultimately, we want people to leave feeling more connected, both to Johannesburg and to one another. **Listening to you both, I'm struck by the idea that these dinners feel like a form of artistic expression. We often think of artists as painters, writers, or photographers, but it seems that through food, curation, and gathering, you're also telling stories about place, identity, and culture. Where do your concepts come from, and how do you translate an idea into an experience?** **Nali:** That's a beautiful way of putting it. I think that's also the beauty of my friendship with Leah. We're both creative people, but we're drawn to different forms of art and expression. Leah has definitely helped me appreciate fashion on a much deeper level, while I'd like to think I've helped her appreciate art and architecture more. We come at creativity from different angles, and this project has become something of a third space that exists between our interests. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG-20260424-WA0069.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG-20260424-WA0022.jpg) @SALTXCEREMONY **Leah:** Most of our concepts often come from something we've seen, a story we've heard, or an idea we can't quite stop thinking about. For example, our most recent dinner theme was *Highveld Spring*. It started during a conversation where someone kept referencing Mediterranean landscapes and aesthetics. I remember thinking, *what's the Johannesburg version of that?* For us, it was the grasslands, the expansive skies, the soft beiges and blues, and the abundance of trees that define the city. A lot of our creative process starts there, with a question rather than an answer. We're interested in exploring things that intrigue us, challenge us, or inspire us. Sometimes it's a story we don't fully understand yet; other times it's simply a feeling or image that we find beautiful and want to explore further. Conceptually, it's about pushing our own creative lenses and seeing where those ideas lead us. But at the heart of every experience is the same intention: gathering. The question we're always asking is: *how do we bring people together in a meaningful way?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5995.jpeg) **Your dinners are built around carefully considered themes, and each experience features a different chef. How involved are you in the creative process once you've chosen the culinary partner? Are you in the kitchen shaping the menu, or do you take a more collaborative approach?** **Leah:** We usually start by sharing the concept or theme with the chef and then invite them to interpret it in their own way. From there, they come back to us with ideas, and we trust them to bring their vision to life. What's funny is that we don't necessarily taste everything beforehand. When we worked with Lady Day, for example, she came highly recommended. We met her, shared the concept, and trusted the process. The same has been true with Eric. We have conversations, of course, but a large part of it is giving them the creative freedom to respond to the theme in a way that feels authentic to them. In many cases, we're experiencing the menu for the first time alongside our guests. > **We often focus on the challenges of the city, and while those realities exist, there's also so much beauty here.** **Nali:** It probably sounds a little crazy, but we genuinely believe that chefs are artists in their own right. We spend a lot of time thinking about the atmosphere, the setting, the people, and the story we want to tell, but the food is their medium. We work with people whose craft we respect and whose work is already celebrated within the culinary community. Once we've chosen to collaborate with someone, there's an element of trust involved. We want them to feel as free to create as we feel when we're developing the concepts behind the dinners. **Leah:** Ultimately, it's a collaboration between different creative disciplines. We're curating the space and the experience, while the chefs are curating what arrives on the plate. When those elements come together, that's where the magic happens. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG-20260611-WA0026.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG-20260523-WA0023.jpg) @SALTXCEREMONY > **Not every creative endeavour is meant to become an institution.** **Johannesburg feels so central to the Salt x Ceremony experience. Do you see the concept travelling to other cities in the future, or is Joburg the essential ingredient?** **Nali:** This is probably one of those questions where Leah and I have slightly different answers. We've definitely spoken about exploring other cities and what that might look like. For me, if SxC were to travel, it would have to be somewhere that genuinely sparks our curiosity. It couldn't just be a matter of setting up a table and hosting a dinner. The places that interest me are the ones with stories and history. Cities that make you want to ask questions and learn more about them. If we ever did take SxC elsewhere, it would have to be a place that challenges us creatively and invites us to honour it in the same way we've tried to honour Johannesburg. For me, that's the most important thing. We'd want to grow through the experience, both as individuals and as creatives, while creating something that feels authentic to that particular place. **Leah:** I completely agree with that. Johannesburg will always be incredibly special to us because it's where Salt x Ceremony was born, and honestly, I still feel like we're only scratching the surface of what the city has to offer. I grew up in Durban and Nali is from the Eastern Cape, but Johannesburg became home. It's the city that shaped our friendship, our careers, and ultimately this project. There are still so many stories, neighbourhoods, rooftops, and hidden corners that we haven't explored yet. So while we're open to the idea of taking SxC elsewhere one day, our relationship with Johannesburg is far from complete. Every dinner reveals something new about the city, and that sense of discovery is what keeps inspiring us. **Nali:** We've never been ones to say never. If the opportunity came along to explore another city with the same level of care, curiosity, and respect, we'd absolutely consider it. But wherever Salt x Ceremony goes, the goal would remain the same: to create an experience that feels deeply connected to the place and the people who call it home. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG_6167.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/85/39/8539220a-facb-4bd9-81c1-fde9c6ed0f13/content/images/2026/10/IMG-20260424-WA0080.jpg) @SALTXCEREMONY **A lot of people are building beautiful things, but not everything is built to last, and often that's not intentional; it's just difficult to sustain something over time. When you started Salt x Ceremony, did you have a long-term vision in mind, or was it simply about creating one meaningful dinner and seeing where it led?** **Nali:** The lawyer in both of us definitely came out quite early in the process. Before our first dinner, we'd already put together a pitch deck with multiple concepts and themes mapped out. I think we had roughly 18 months' worth of ideas and experiences we'd been dreaming about, so there was always some level of long-term thinking involved. That said, I've also come to believe that it's okay if some things don't last forever. Sometimes a project exists to express an idea, create a moment, or inspire something else. Not every creative endeavour is meant to become an institution. But for us, there has always been an intention to build something that grows. We want to create more experiences, explore new opportunities, and continue finding ways to bring people together. There's definitely a bigger vision behind what we're doing. **Leah:** I think that's true. What's funny is that Salt x Ceremony began quite organically. The idea came out of a conversation during Nali's birthday, and from that one moment we started imagining what this could become. We're still entirely self-funded, which means we've been able to grow at our own pace and stay true to the experience we want to create. We've intentionally avoided making it feel overly commercial because intimacy remains at the heart of what we do. At the same time, we've been approached by brands and organisations who connect with our vision, and that's shown us how much potential there is to expand what we're building. When we reflected recently, we realised we'd taken an idea that started on a rooftop between friends and turned it into a tangible experience in less than a year. That came with lessons, mistakes, growth, and a lot of learning, but it also proved that what we imagined was possible. **Nali:** So yes, there is a long-term plan. **Leah:** Definitely. The goal is to keep growing, keep evolving, and keep creating experiences that bring people together. Bigger and better, but always intentional. And no matter how much we grow, we never want to lose the intimacy that made people fall in love with Salt x Ceremony in the first place.