Dr Sasi Gangiah has built a career that brings together culinary education, entrepreneurship, research and a strong belief in the value of creating opportunities for students.
A Senior Lecturer in Catering Management in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), she joined the University in 2013 as a part-time staff member before becoming a permanent lecturer in 2014.
Based at the Ritson Campus, Dr Gangiah currently serves as Programme Team Leader and Occupational Health and Safety representative, while also contributing to the Institutional Research Ethics Committee, external examining and postgraduate supervision.
Her academic journey began in India, where she obtained a BSc in Dietetics and Nutrition in 1989, followed by an MSc in 1992 and an MPhil in Food Services Management and Dietetics in 1993.
Moving to South Africa brought a new chapter. Before entering academia, Dr Gangiah drew on her qualifications and entrepreneurial drive to establish four restaurants in Durban and Port Elizabeth. She later sold the businesses and returned to academia, fulfilling a promise she had made to her mother to complete a PhD.
That goal was realised in 2021 when she received the Dean’s Merit Award for academic excellence for her doctoral thesis, titled An Exploration of Environmental Ergonomics: A Case of Restaurant Kitchens in Durban.
The research examined environmental conditions affecting the health and wellbeing of workers in commercial restaurant kitchens, addressing an area that had not previously been comprehensively researched in South Africa.
The scale of the study reflected the commitment behind it. The thesis comprised 11 chapters and 538 pages, supported by more than 1 300 references, 150 tables and 35 graphs.
For Dr Gangiah, the PhD was never simply about adding another qualification to her name.
“My supervisor, Dr K. Naidoo, once asked me whether I wanted a genuine PhD. I told him that I wanted a real one with distinction, just as I had achieved with my degree, Master’s and MPhil,” she recalled.
The final stages tested that determination. In 2019, while preparing to submit her thesis, she was asked to rewrite the entire document to strengthen its “golden thread”, despite the individual chapters having already been approved.
She chose to start again.
“I overcame it through sheer discipline. I woke up at 5am every day and worked until midnight, pausing only to eat or bathe,” she said.
That same determination continues to influence her work at DUT.
Dr Gangiah has contributed to curriculum development through new module descriptors and learner guides for subjects including Food and Nutrition 101, Culinary Studies and Menu Planning 101, Commercial Cookery and Costing 301, Gastronomy 801/802 and Food System Management 802.
Since becoming Programme Team Leader in 2022, she has also introduced practical tools to support teaching, learning and operational processes, including a Kitchen Equipment Stock Control Booklet, Kitchen Workplan, Food Costing Sheet and moderation forms for kitchen practicals.
Her experience as a restaurant owner has also shaped the way she teaches.
Rather than preparing students only for employment, she encourages them to see the hospitality industry as a space for entrepreneurship, innovation and creating their own opportunities.
One example is the African Food Festival, which has been hosted annually since 2022. The initiative celebrates African culinary heritage while giving students an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a practical and entrepreneurial environment.
“I would like to be remembered as someone who decolonised the culinary curriculum and pioneered platforms, like the African Food Festival, that celebrate African culinary heritage while giving students practical, entrepreneurial experience,” she said.
Research remains another important part of her contribution.
Building on her doctoral work, Dr Gangiah has published research examining workplace heat exposure and gender differences among kitchen workers, kitchen air pollution and food toxicity, as well as food security, agritech and climate-smart agriculture across BRICS nations.
Her work also extends to sustainability in hospitality, including research into the transformation of kitchen food waste using Bokashi Bran and circular economy principles.
Whether the focus is kitchen safety, curriculum transformation, entrepreneurship or sustainability, the common thread is practical impact.
Seeing the results of this work is what continues to motivate her.
Women’s Month provides another opportunity to reflect on the realities of women’s journeys, particularly the demands of balancing family, careers and personal ambitions.
Her message to young women is rooted in the determination that has defined her own career.
“There is no substitute for perseverance. Every obstacle you face should make your determination stronger. Do not settle for an easier version of your goal when a real, fully realised one is within reach, even if it takes longer and asks more of you.”
Her approach to life is also influenced by three philosophies: Ubuntu, Karma and the Tao.
Ubuntu reminds her that achievements are never accomplished alone. Karma reinforces her belief in sincere effort without becoming consumed by the outcome, while the Tao speaks to balance and moving through life with harmony.
Together, these philosophies have shaped the way she approaches her work, relationships and challenges.
“I feel I am here on this earth to experience the universe fully, through people, through nature, through work, through struggle and joy, and to contribute something real, making a difference in the world,” she said.
From India to South Africa, from restaurant entrepreneur to academic and from doctoral researcher to culinary curriculum innovator, Dr Gangiah’s career has continued to evolve.
At the centre of it all is a determination to keep learning, create opportunities for students and use education, research and the culinary arts to make a meaningful contribution.
Pictured: Dr Sasi Gangiah.
Photo: Supplied.
Simangele Zuma
