Durban - Masterchef SA 2014 winner, Roxi Wardman, has turned her life mantra – “cooking my way through life, one spoonful at a time” – into her life’s work, with her café, Spoonful Eatery, opening in Windermere Centre in June.
“The cakes and pastries will be displayed in a huge stand, that is the spoonful of sugar. A spoonful of love is the comfort food on the menu and a spoonful of sunshine, the lighter meals,” she explained.
With her 27th birthday coming up in two weeks, Wardman has had a whirlwind year. Growing up she was somewhat of a nomad, having lived in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng before her family settled in eMkhomazi (Umkomaas) on the KZN South Coast. But it was only during Masterchef SA that she travelled abroad for the first time.
She impressed judges with her culinary prowess in Ireland and Mauritius and since being crowned the winner in December, Wardman has also travelled to France.
“We went to Paris and Bordeaux for the ultimate wine experience sponsored by Nederburg. We had the most amazing lunches, dinners and wine tastings, it was a foodie inspiration,” she beamed. Wardman confesses that when in France, she couldn’t resist macaroons for breakfast every day. She closed her eyes in fond recollection of the “amazing” breads.
Her fiance, Byron Maclou, agreed. He also noted the irony of having most enjoyed something as simple as bread and butter in one of the food capitals of the world.
Maclou proposed to Wardman in their Bluff home ahead of New Year’s Eve last year and has since quit his job in sales to go into business at Spoonful with her. He was at her side when Wardman, a Catholic of Portuguese descent, cried, overcome by “something spiritual”, in Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Together, they stared in awe out over the city of love from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
While helping his fiancee fulfil her dreams, Maclou said he was also living his own passion.
“I’ll be doing most of the shopfitting at the café myself. I’ve always been good with my hands and when we look at the finished shop it will be amazing knowing we did it ourselves,” he said.
The couple spoke to the Daily News yesterday at the site of their new “baby” before setting off to buy furniture, cutlery and crockery for the café. “We bought these old school beer mugs to serve our signature milkshakes in. This will not be your average café,” said Maclou.
Starting off small, with a cosy 20 to 25-seater eatery, would help her find her feet in the food industry, Wardman said. “I used to drive trains, so this is new to me. I’ve never had my life revolve around food before. This is an absolute dream,” she added.
Serendipity led her to the “creative and quirky” space at the back of a vintage shop, Anthology, at Windermere Centre. “My friend from East Coast Radio, Jane Linley-Thomas, knew I was looking for a spot and told me about this artsy shop and I loved it.”
Owned by Durban artist Terry Angelos, the shop has just the right amount of whimsy to match that of the tattooed, pink-haired Wardman.
“The colours will be yellow – because they say it stimulates the appetite – with black and a touch of teal. There will definitely be a lot of spoons in the decor,” she smiled.
Once the eatery is completed, the couple will enjoy a tropical holiday in the Seychelles, another Masterchef SA prize – sponsored by Tsogo Sun. This before the anticipated busyness that will have them feeding Durbanites her delectable food by the spoonful.
Daily News