Meet the MasterChef SA celebs
Local cooking heroes will relish turning up the heat in the kitchen again in charity cook-off
you draw inspiration?
A: I am a messy cook so my favourite ingredient is chocolate. I love making cupcakes. Q: Lessons you’ve learned? A: How to use a gas stove without it exploding. Knife skills and how to use them because they can be lethal.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: Food and Trees for Africa because they get to the root of the problem. They go out and teach people how to grow their own vegetables.
Model Lerato Moloi
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills?
A: I will be coming out of my shell. I used to cook specific meals but realise there’s more I can do.
Q: What is your favourite dish to prepare and where do you draw inspiration for it?
A: I enjoy baking all sorts of bread, different flavours with my mother and daughter.
Q: Lessons you’ve learned on the show?
A: It is important to prepare ahead and think on the spot.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: I will choose the Bridge The Gap Foundation because it’s a facilitator for people who want to give back.
TV Maseko
presenter
Lorna
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills?
A: I’m passionate about food. I love cooking. Not many people know that about me. So they’ll have to watch and see.
Q: What is your favourite dish to prepare and where do you draw inspiration for it?
A: I’m a home cook type of person and a classic oxtail does it for me. I get inspiration from cooking shows. I love experimenting with different cuisine. Q: Lessons you’ve learned? A: How to use the knife properly, not just cutting food as I please.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: The Rivers Foundation because of the amazing work they do.
Fashion photog rapher Merwelene van der Merwe
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills? A: A lot of excitement. Q. What is your favourite dish to prepare and where do you draw inspiration from?
A: I do three things – sheep, stew and salad. I get inspiration from whatever is around me at the time. Q: Lessons you’ve learned? A: To respect the quality of food, and the knife can be dangerous so you shouldn’t leave it lying around.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: The Orange Baby initiative begun by the fashion industry in The Netherlands.
TV presenter Sade Giliberti
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills?
A: Many people think I can’t cook. I’m not saying that I’m a Gordon Ramsay but I can whip up an omelette.
Q. What is your favourite dish to prepare and where do you draw inspiration from?
A: I like cooking pasta as I come from an Italian background. Survivor opened me up to different ways of cooking fish. Chicken is also my favourite. I love experimenting. Q: Lessons you’ve learned? A: One is a simple thing like chopping because you watch Nigella (Lawson) and Jamie (Oliver) and how they chop. I’ve always wanted to chop and I learned there is a skill to it.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: FeedSA. Its whole angle speaks out to me. They go out to underprivileged areas and emphasise every child deserves a meal. Not only children, but everyone, elderly included. They also set up crèches and feed children. They do a lot.
Model and Lunga Shabalala
presenter
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills?
A: My approach on the show has been informed by what I’ve seen before. But it’s different when you’re there in person. I’m under no illusion about my cooking skills but I can whip up a meal.
Q. What are your favourite dishes to prepare and where do you draw inspiration from?
A: I draw inspiration from Royco sachets. I’m that guy who is big on following instructions. I also pick up a cooking book now and then. I can cook my favourite meal from my childhood but will not reveal what it is just yet.
Q: Lessons that you’ve learned on the show?
A: That if the knife drops, you don’t catch it. Keep your space tidy. Most important, just enjoy it and don’t try to beat the dough too hard.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: Project Getaway in Pietermaritzburg. They help child-headed households. They give people opportunities to get skills to empower themselves.
Comedian Tol A$$ Mo aka Mongezi Ngcobondwane
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills?
A: Lots of fun cooking in the kitchen.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: Children of Fire. Many children suffer burns in uncon- trolled fires. I come from Tembisa so I’ve seen a lot of incidents and there are no fire extinguishers. So I’m humbled by the work they do.
Radio personality Alex Jay
Q: What can viewers expect from your culinary skills?
A: They can expect very little. Yes, I can make something edible but nothing extraordinary.
Q. What are your favourite dishes to prepare and where do you draw inspiration from?
A: My wife has handled the kitchen for the past 20 years and I’m just the braaimaster, but we are now experimenting with fresh herbs and are discovering little secrets hidden in Fordsburg, so it is a fun time for all of us.
Q: Lessons you’ve learned on the show?
A: Never underestimate the skills and time required to prep a meal as well as safety. I now approach our kitchen at home differently.
Q: If you win, which charity will you choose and why?
A: The Twilight Children’s Home, a shelter in Hillbrow. We’ve worked with them over the years and they do amazing work.
Contestant Terence Bridgett did not get back to us in time.
MasterChefSA celebrity premieres on February 8 at 6pm on M-Net DStv, channel 101.