Cooking at the Rock: Ronit Chamani's Life Menu Includes More than Poker

By Sean Chaffin

A day in the life of South African poker player Ronit Chamani (pictured) usually involves plenty of time at the poker table. She travels the poker circuit in the U.S. and around the world, throwing chips in the pot along the way and hoping to cook up a nice finish.

But away from the tables, she’s cooking up something completely different – adding ingredients and spices to pots and pans. A trained chef who lives a plant-based diet, she’ll be getting in the kitchen even more in the coming months with plans to open “pop-up” vegan eateries. That includes serving up tasty dishes on her regular trips to the U.S., Israel (where most of her family lives), and back home in South Africa.

“I enjoy life and I create food, so I’m starting to build more of my life in that direction,” Chamani says. “I want to host private dinner parties and events and just get people together for some good quality, amazing vegan food.

“A friend of mine has a restaurant in Israel and they’re closed at night so I plan on doing a pop-up for two months sometime next year. And then I’ll be spending a lot of time in London in the near future and I’ll do it there.”

The culinary dreams will have to wait a bit longer, however. Chamani was among those remaining late on Day 2 at the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open and hoping to get in the money. She also plans on playing the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic in December.

What’s the poker scene like back in South Africa?

“I’d call it more gambling than poker,” she says laughing. “Everyone just loves to get their money. It’s hard to actually read situations because everyone’s putting it in with almost anything so it’s pretty wild. But I don’t play there too often, to be honest.”

Chamani has more than $700,000 in live tournament winnings and her best score came in 2014 when she won a $2,000 event at Bay 101 for $152,080. She also has $98,715 in winnings on the WPT. Poker has been good to her, but still considers it a “serious hobby.”

As the date of her pop-up culinary venture approaches, Chamani plans to add an Instagram account to help in the effort. She doesn’t plan on just posting about her latest dishes, but also inspirational moments and things she appreciates in life.

As a chef, Chamani attended the Living Light and Plant Lab culinary institutes to help perfect her skills. She’s also studied yoga and permaculture, ecological design elements based on whole systems in a natural setting – part of an overall lifetime learning approach.

“I just love building skill sets and learning about things that interest me,” she says.

Her efforts may even include some pop-up dining events during the summer while she’s at the World Series of Poker. 

Along with the culinary arts, Chamani enjoys traveling and considers it one of the great perks of a poker lifestyle. A getaway to Ilha Grande, Brazil, was one of her favorite trips. The island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro features white sand beaches, crystalline waters, lush green mountains, and tropical birds. There are also no cars on the island so traveling involves hiking through trails in the forest.

It’s a good bet another visit to the island will make it on that new social media account.

“My intention with Instagram is only to post things that will inspire people into action and change,” she says. “I just want to share my love for what I enjoy in life, and if it inspires people to be more healthy and create on their own then I think I’ve achieved something good.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.