Masterchef Roxi cooks up big plans

Masterchef winner Roxi Wardman

Masterchef winner Roxi Wardman

Published Dec 12, 2014

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Dessert Queen Roxi Wardman reigned supreme at last night’s unveiling of this year’s winner of M-Net’s MasterChef South Africa. Debashine Thangevelo looks at how she beat SA’s favourite Siphokazi Mdlankomo by a mere eight points…

DURBAN’S former assistant train driver Roxi Wardman, 26, was overwhelmed to learn that all those mystery box challenges and invention tests paid off when she was crowned the winner of the third season of MasterChef South Africa at last night’s finale.

Meanwhile, SA poster girl for domestic workers – Cape Town’s Siphokazi Mdlankomo, 39 – was visibly devastated.

After a private therapeutic waterworks session, she emerged confident and smiling again.

And it was a close win with both of them saluted for working hard to get to where they did.

At the press conference shortly after the announcement, Wardman said: “I’m absolutely overwhelmed and I’m just waiting for someone to slap me awake and tell me I’m dreaming. It’s something I’ve wanted for so, so long. And it proves that no matter what your background is, nothing can stop you if you put your mind to it.”

Thanking her boyfriend, family and friends for their continued support, she is raring to start the next chapter in her life – opening her own establishment.

She revealed: “I have left it (my job) behind. I think if I ever got on a train, it will be for pleasure. It was fun in the beginning. Then it just became routine and I hated every single day of going to work.”

Wardman added: “You are put in a man’s world, where you aren’t treated any different.”

But that certainly paid off for her because it helped her to harness her fighting spirit.

And the three dishes that saw her dominate the different challenges were: little boboties with traditional yellow rice and date and apricot chutneys as well as two sambals (quince and an onion and carrot option); a lamington made with rice flour, along with fudge crumble and a passion fruit with amasi granite; and, lastly, in the cook off alongside world famous Chef Marco Pierre White, a roast rump of lamb on the bone with mussels in a white sauce.

What’s next?

She revealed: “As soon as I get back to Durban, I’m going to be looking for premises and a really kickass team. I want people that have no formal training to also create jobs. And I need to think out of the box and do a lot of branding.”

The celebrity edition of MasterChef South Africa kicks off on Sunday February 8 next year.

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