Tahila’s taste takes her to top three
Pietermaritzburg chef Tahila Pillay is the youngest top three finalist on SABC 2’s Taste Maker competition.
Pillay (22) is a pastry chef and content creator, who graduated from Jackie Cameron’s School of Food and Wine.
Pillay said she is proud of how far she has come in the competition.
“If someone told me three years ago that I would be on a cooking show I would have laughed at them. Now I have made top three and I am proud of how far I have come,” Pillay said, adding that it was intimidating being the youngest contestant on the show.
“The other contestants had much more experience than I did, but I have also learnt from them. Whether I win or lose in the end, I am proud of making it to the top three in the competition,” said Pillay.
Pillay added that she was honoured to have been judged by South African chef Zola Nene.
“I received a lot constructive criticism from Zola, who is an inspiration to me as she also has the idea that a lot more can be done with food and that is what I also believe and work with. Her work shows us that there is a lot more to the field of cooking that can be studied and explored,” said Pillay.
Pillay is thankful for the experience so far, the relationships she built and for the support of her family.
“It was a competition where we are very supportive of each other. After the challenges we would speak about it and tell each other how we felt. At times it was intense, but it is a really good experience and I am so thankful for the relationships that I got to build with everyone.
“I am so thankful for my family, who I would call after a challenge and tell them all about it. My family would encourage me all the way. I am also thankful for all the support that I received from the community, even people that I have never met were so supportive. I really appreciate all the support that I have been given so far.”
Watch Pillay in the grand finale of the Taste Maker on SABC 2 this Friday at 7pm.