FORMER busker Vezz is cooking and bringing the Kaap a vibey take on the humble gatsby dite.
From singing on the bus for a living to cooking up a storm in the kitchen, to trending on social media and now owning his own food joint, Vezz has done it all and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Former busker Vezz, whose real name is Lance Fortuin, from Tafelsig made headlines in 2021 when he trended on social media for singing on public buses with his speaker boksie to try and make ends meet.
He started getting booked for gigs and headlining events and even released his own music.
In 2023, Vezz swopped the mic for an apron and started trending on TikTok for his lekker dite, especially the gatsbys and steak sandwiches.
His shot to fame started when he landed a cashier job at Total Garage Cafe Bonjour in Kuils River.
Then one day, he made a customer a russian gatsby and next thing mense were lining up to try out his lekker gatsbys and steak sandwhices.
Local artists and influencers also queued and became regulars and soon he became extremely popular when people from all over the Western Cape and some outside of the province came to try out his food, even selling out some days.
On 5 December 2024 he opened his own establishment called Vezzbys and is operating his business solo with eight employees.
Other than the locals he is also serving tourists from America, Germany, Australia, the UK and China at his new food spot called located at 226 Long Street, ground floor of Centraal.
He said that he is overwhelmed by the support over the years and that this is a dream come true.
Lance says: “I never thought that I would go viral for food.
“After going viral and seeing the potential behind all this I believed things would happen.
“I love and appreciate everyone who is coming from near and far and who has been having my back and supporting me. It's so unbelievable.”
He said that his love for food started at a young age and doing Consumer Studies at school.
Vezz adds: “I’ve got all kinds of street foods like gatsbies, sandwiches, chicken and wings and lekker dite.
“Also my trading hours are from 10am till 12am in the week and from Thursdays 10am till 1.30am.”
“I don’t know if there will be any new music yet but I make it known that I’m the singing chef.”
When asked what we can expect from the singing chef for the new year, he said that mense need to stay tuned as he has a lot more in store.
In the meantime, mense can grab a lekker dite for lunch at Vezzbys if you are in the CBD.