Cape Town – A lot has changed for former food blogger turned celebrity TV chef Kamini Pather since winning the MasterChef SA competition in 2013.
Since then, the 31-year-old has appeared in several newspapers and magazines, and is currently one of South Africa’s most exciting young cooks.
Pather has just wrapped up filming her first food-travel TV show, Girl Eat World. The 10 episodes, which start airing next month, takes Pather on a journey to discover the inside story on 10 international food destinations from the people who know them best – local food bloggers.
Her expedition starts in Joburg where she discovers how food is changing the way locals think about their hometown. Then on to cities such as Berlin, Dubai, Philadelphia, Tokyo and Sydney where she documents her food experiences with some of her favourite food bloggers from across the world.
She explores hidden gems, bustling markets, swinging night spots, breweries, pop-up diners, cocktail bars and street stalls. In addition to tantalising her taste buds with exotic flavours, Pather also tries adventurous sports and even gets tattooed.
A self-taught cook, Durban-born Pather started cooking at 18. Being able to turn her passion for food into a career is a dream come true for her, she says.
“I’m not a chef. Chefs train for years and work their way up in kitchens. They create consistently amazing food night after night. I am a TV chef, which is exactly what I wanted to be. From the start of MasterChef, I said my passion was for food media. My love for digital and print food media was what drew me to the competition and to this industry,” she explains.
“Shooting this show was me living my dream. It was the dream that I entered MasterChef SA with – having a multimedia portal for people to share ideas around food,” says Pather.
“I ate some incredible food, saw some life-changing sights and made some friends from all around the world who share my passion for food through digital media.”
Her trip highlights included passing through the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo which is used by around 2 million people every day. “It was a feat of humanity to see how people waltz through there undisturbed and in an amazingly ordered fashion,” she says.
“Base flying in Berlin was a hair-raising experience. I also ate an incredible fusion dish of German spätzle (soft egg noodles) with cheese, bacon and kimchi (a Korean dish made of cabbage) made by an incredible food personality, Fräulein Kimchi.”
Her most exotic meal included eating a 17-day embryo egg in Sydney. “Many food writers have documented eating a boiled duck egg that has been germinating for 17 day: a partially formed duckling,” says Pather.
Then there was getting to understand the Asian influence on Sydney cuisine with local food blogger and fellow MasterChef Australia contestant, Billy Law. “We get on like a house on fire. He is insanely knowledgeable and that combination of chemistry and knowledge translates beautifully on screen,” says Pather.
Although her busy work schedule sees Pather eating out on a regular basis at Joburg and Cape Town eateries, she still enjoys home-cooked meals.
“Home cooking should be easy and recently I’ve become a big fan of braising. Yes, it’s one of those techniques that doesn’t require loads of preparation, but the end result is always a delight. The dish I love making and serving is a pork shoulder braised for seven hours in dark beer with sweet potato, fennel and coconut milk dauphinoise potatoes,” she says.
“I adore Pintrest. The image-driven content makes it easy to eat with my eyes and explore what’s happening in food around the globe. I am a digital fiend who also downloads international magazines and devours bloggers’ content.”
She counts a three-cheese mac and cheese as one of her favourite comfort meals. “It’s equal quantities of buffalo mozzarella, pecorino and goats milk cheese, studded with oven-dried rosa tomatoes and crispy bacon. That may well suffice as the starter to my last supper,” she says.
Her worst kitchen nightmare was making the frozen lemon meringue during the MasterChef SA competition.
“It was three different types of meringue which included a frozen disc of lemon curd. I was so afraid that it wouldn’t freeze and that I wouldn’t be able to pull it out of its dome-shaped mould. It created so much tension,” she says.
Pather’s favourite creation, so far, is a spice infused rolled pork belly inspired by her grandmother and which she prepared during the competition.
“The dish defines me because it shows my Indian heritage in a subtle way, while the puree and garnishes speak to a worldliness. It showcases my cooking style because it’s quick to cook, it’s healthy, encompasses many textures and above all else, it focuses on simple flavours that pair effortlessly. It was also beautifully presented, something I am passionate about,” she says.
Pather says that farmers markets are the best places for sourcing fresh ingredients. “They are my favourite way to shop because people are so generous with their produce. It’s the kind of generosity that stems from the pride taken to make or grow a certain thing.”
She says whole cloves of garlic, flavoured oils, natural salt, dried pasta and cheese, as well as dried spices are key ingredients every foodie should have in their cupboard or refrigerator.
But it hasn’t always been all about food for Pather.
“People would be surprised to know that I was once a competitive figure skater. I still have my white ice skates and a Princess Jasmine suit laying around at my parents’ place. I stopped skating when I was 14 and the fact that the boots still fit are both a blessing, because I still use them from time to time, and a realisation that I have not grown since 1997,” says Pather. “(But) if I wasn’t doing what I am doing, I would be working toward being able to do what I am doing.
“I have said it before and I will say it a thousand times – I am living my dream.”
* Girl Eat World premieres on Food Network, DStv Channel 175 from May 15.