Cultivating culinary excellence
TIANA Gangaram loves cooking up a storm, and she blew the judges away with her dishes at the recent KZN Spar Junior Cook Competition.
Tiana, 12, a Grade 6 pupil at Pelham Senior Primary School in Pietermaritzburg, came second in the contest.
Ballito resident Ryleigh Rutherford, 12, from Maris Stella School, was the overall winner.
Six youngsters competed at the Gecko Culinary Adventures cooking school in Musgrave, Durban.
Tiana said she started cooking when she was 10 years old, and her mother, Meena, inspired her, teaching her how to cook and bake.
“My mom also learnt to cook when she was a little girl and she wants to pass on the skill to her daughters,” said Tiana.
“Crumpets were the first things I learnt to make. I still enjoy making them for breakfast on Sundays.
“My dad (Amrit) found the Spar Junior Cook Competition on Facebook and told me about it. I was keen to enter, especially since my younger sister, Yuvna, and I love watching reality cooking shows. I really enjoyed the competition and was not nervous.”
Tiana prepared a tuna tart, which she said was her mother’s recipe. The tart was so tasty that it won over a judge who did not usually eat fish.
Her second task, a mystery, was to bake gingerbread men and decorate them.
Tiana’s prizes included a R2000 shopping voucher, a cooking set and a big bag of sweets.
“I hope to get an opportunity to take part again next year. I think I’ll be better prepared and will know what to expect,” she said. “Taking part in this competition gave me confidence and I will try harder next time.”
Spar advertising and promotions manager Nelene Rampersad, who was one of the judges, said: “We had such a range of dishes from the finalists this year. This made judging difficult. Our tastebuds were put to the test.
“Well done to all who participated, for the good food and great spirit.”