Former MasterChef SA top five finalist Lungi Nhlanhla, 24, is in the spotlight again and has been appointed ambassador for an olive oil brand.
She hopes her role will encourage people to “get out of their comfort zones of thinking and cooking” and get creative with food.
“I want to take people on a food journey through recipes, tastings and various other experiences to enjoy Olive Pride,” she says.
“You will need to watch the social media space for the next couple of months to see what I have in store.”
Born and raised in Durban, Lungi grew up in Westville and now lives in Assagay.
“I have always loved cooking, and celebrations and gatherings at home always involved good food.”
But she didn’t think of making a career in food and enrolled at the Durban University of Technology to study fashion and textile design, graduating in 2011.
She soon realised that food was her passion and landed a job as contributing food editor to a weekly magazine. She then entered the first season of MasterChef, becoming the youngest finalist at age 21.
“Being the youngest in anything is always a challenge. I’ve learnt that age and experience don’t always go hand in hand. MasterChef and the magazine both took a chance with me and I think we all benefited.”
It gave her the confidence to launch her Durban-based business Lungi’s Corner, that offers catering, food styling, product testing, cooking classes, writing services and more.
“It’s not very often that you get to do what you love every day, pour your energy in and gain great rewards from it too.
“My goal is to grow Lungi’s Corner and my business relationships to be able to make my dreams come true. Another major goal is to no longer procrastinate and just do – you have nothing to lose as every experience is a learning opportunity.”