‘Game on’ for Kitchen Maestro contenders
More weekly cook-off winners chosen plus one more chance to enter
BAY home cooks Chantel Cuthbert and Heidi Reid are the newest semi-finalists in the hotly contested weekly Walmer Park Kitchen Maestro competition. Chantel, a beautician and owner of Classic Nails in Port Elizabeth, won the second cook-off on April 25 while Heidi, an HR administrator at Maritime Motors, won the third cook-off last Saturday.
The two will join Dallas Land, of Jeffreys Bay, and two more semi-finalists to be determined today and next Saturday, in a semi-final showdown on May 23.
Dallas, last year’s runner-up, secured his spot in the semis this time by taking the place of week one’s winner, Liza Vermaak, who pulled out because of other commitments.
Once the top two are decided on May 23, they will go head to head in what is expected to be a thrilling final on May 24.
The main sponsor of the competition is First Choice, a Woodlands Dairy brand, with Weekend Post the media partner.
Chantel, of Fernglen, wowed the judges with her winning dish of grilled kingklip with lemon-infused hollandaise, deep-fried couscous cheese balls and onion rings with a charred pepper and leek salsa.
Heidi, of Lorraine Manor, triumphed over her fellow contestants by making seared lamb rump marinated in soya sauce, garlic and ginger. This she served with potato rosti, caramelised onions, grilled tomatoes and roast veggies in butter-cream sauce.
Each week’s contestants are given a pantry of staple ingredients and fresh produce from The Rocket Seed to dip into – and plenty of inspiration in the form of a demonstration by the chef in charge. But then there are also the daunting Mystery Box ingredients, all of which have to be used in the dishes.
In Chantel’s week the compulsory ingredients were kingklip, red pepper, eggs and cheddar, while in Heidi’s cook-off lamb rump, feta, cinnamon and brinjal had to be incorporated.
Chantel and her group cooked off against Kitchen Maestro head judge Dewald Hurter, the chef behind Makoy Food Truck, and Heidi and her group cooked off against Brad Castle, head chef at St Francis Links. Joining Dewald on the panel for cook-off two was Gary Fraser, co-owner of Café Dulce, and Mrs Port Elizabeth Lienkie Nieuwoud. Brad’s fellow judges were former Kitchen Maestro winner Elke Gerber and Tim Walker, head chef at Ginger restaurant.
Gary had this to say about Chantel’s dish: “The winning dish showed technique and creativity – it had lots of texture, from the perfectly cooked fish to the smooth sauce and crispy couscous balls.”
An elated Chantel said: “I’m so happy I made it through to the semi-finals and I’m happy the judges and audience enjoyed my dish. Be- fore I could grab a taste the plate was polished.”
Tim said Heidi’s dish was “well presented and very tasty, displaying the best use of the ingredients given”. Heidi said her love of cooking came from her late mother-in-law Pat Reid, a wonderful cook. “I was nervous about the cook-off and about the mystery box challenge as you never know what ingredients you might get, but I’m ecstatic I made it through to the semi-final,” she said. There are two more cook-offs to come – one at 11am today for which contestants have already been chosen, and another next Saturday, for which entries are open until noon on Wednesday.
Cook-offs take place in the promotions arena at Walmer Park, where gas cooking stations have been set up by Rafi’s Appliances and Mattresses.
The overall winner will receive a prize package valued at more than R20 000. This includes hair care from Ultimate Stylists, a Boardmans prize, dinner set from Home Etc, a Le Creuset dish, Walmer Park vouchers and a one-year VIP parking card. There is also a weekend and dinner for two at the Beach Hotel, a Woodlands Dairy overnight bag and hamper, a prize from Rafi's, a Dulce hamper, a Times Media E-Edition subscription, a cookbook from Fogarty's and a Cerebos hamper.
Collect an entry form at the Walmer Park info kiosk or follow the link to the Kitchen Maestro page at www.walmerparkshoppingcentre.co.za.