A group of cooks from Mthatha will get to show off their culinary skills next month when they represent the province at the finals of a Stokvel Cooking Challenge.
The semifinals took place at Powertrade Cash & Carry in East London over the weekend.
In the semifinals for the provincial leg were three stokvels – The Golden Girls, Siyancendana and S’nako Stokvel.
The judges for the day were singer, actress and celebrity chef Lucia Mthiyane and MasterChef SA 2014 runner-up Siphokazi Mdlankomo.
The competition, which is powered by Royco and White Star, in partnership with Move magazine, saw contestants prepare two courses – a starter and main course.
S’nako Stokvel emerged victorious.
Nelly Nneheleng of S’nako said when they started their stokvel two years ago, their common goal was to motivate and support women from their villages.
Nneheleng said when they decided to take part in the competition, they had no idea the standards would be so high, but they gave it their all.
“The moral support we received from other stokvel members brought us all this glory.
“Going into the finals, we are looking forward to bringing the crown home,” said Nneheleng.
She said they all took great pride in their cooking skills.
“Just to make it to even the semi-finals was exciting and liberating, and will go a long way towards our development. This will also help us go further with the work we do within our communities,” she said.
Her co-chefs were Vathiswa Ntabeni and Akhona Magwentshu.
The judges said they were not surprised by the excellence of the dishes prepared on Saturday because last year’s competition winners were from the Eastern Cape.
Mthiyane said the group proved themselves to be capable of “thinking outside the box”, which is what she was looking for.
“All their dishes were colourful and tasty and one can see the thought that went into preparing them. They have outdone themselves but unfortunately we can only have one winner,” said Mthiyane.
Mdlankomo said she wished that MasterChef SA could also come to the province because “this is where the real cooking takes place. There is so much talent and exceptional skill. I have been blown away.
“S’nako have proven that they know their food and can play with the different flavours.
“They have been impressive and by far the best I have seen in the whole country,” she said.
S’nako will compete in the finals on June 4 in Rustenburg.
Prizes of R25000, R15000, R10000 and R5000 will be taken home by the nation’s four best cookery stokvels. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
Judges ‘blown away’ by stokvel chefs at EC semis
The semifinals took place at Powertrade Cash & Carry in East London over the weekend.
In the semifinals for the provincial leg were three stokvels – The Golden Girls, Siyancendana and S’nako Stokvel.
The judges for the day were singer, actress and celebrity chef Lucia Mthiyane and MasterChef SA 2014 runner-up Siphokazi Mdlankomo.
The competition, which is powered by Royco and White Star, in partnership with Move magazine, saw contestants prepare two courses – a starter and main course.
S’nako Stokvel emerged victorious.
Nelly Nneheleng of S’nako said when they started their stokvel two years ago, their common goal was to motivate and support women from their villages.
Nneheleng said when they decided to take part in the competition, they had no idea the standards would be so high, but they gave it their all.
“The moral support we received from other stokvel members brought us all this glory.
“Going into the finals, we are looking forward to bringing the crown home,” said Nneheleng.
She said they all took great pride in their cooking skills.
“Just to make it to even the semi-finals was exciting and liberating, and will go a long way towards our development. This will also help us go further with the work we do within our communities,” she said.
Her co-chefs were Vathiswa Ntabeni and Akhona Magwentshu.
The judges said they were not surprised by the excellence of the dishes prepared on Saturday because last year’s competition winners were from the Eastern Cape.
Mthiyane said the group proved themselves to be capable of “thinking outside the box”, which is what she was looking for.
“All their dishes were colourful and tasty and one can see the thought that went into preparing them. They have outdone themselves but unfortunately we can only have one winner,” said Mthiyane.
Mdlankomo said she wished that MasterChef SA could also come to the province because “this is where the real cooking takes place. There is so much talent and exceptional skill. I have been blown away.
“S’nako have proven that they know their food and can play with the different flavours.
“They have been impressive and by far the best I have seen in the whole country,” she said.
S’nako will compete in the finals on June 4 in Rustenburg.
Prizes of R25000, R15000, R10000 and R5000 will be taken home by the nation’s four best cookery stokvels. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za
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