THERE we have it – the finalists for this year’s season of Masterchef SA are Siphokazi and Roxi.
In the penultimate double episodes last night on M-Net, the top four were whittled down with a gruelling pastry challenge set by Lorraine Meaney, and Margot Janse from Le Quartier Francais took out the second semi-finalist. The last two left standing are Siphokazi Mdlankomo, 39, a domestic worker from Newlands in Cape Town, and 26-year-old train driver’s assistant Roxi Wardman from Durban.
In a new twist this third season, although the series was filmed earlier this year, neither of them knows who the winner is; this secret is still closely guarded by only a handful of people. For the first time, this announcement will be made live at the end of next week’s 90-minute finale, which airs on Thursday at 7.30pm.
One of those in on the end result is judge Pete Goffe-Wood.
“For me this has, without a doubt, been our best year. We had Reuben (Riffel) with us, who was a great addition, bringing another dimension to the mix. There was a great chemistry with him and it was like he has always been there.
“But this year the best thing has been the contestants. The level has got better every year. People watch the show so only those who are a bit more serious about their cooking apply. This means we get fewer applicants, but a far higher caliber. We find they are much better read, they know all the international and top local chefs – not necessarily those who have been on television, but chefs who are have Michelin stars and the highest ranked restaurants in the world. So they’ve really done their research, and there was a maturity to the contestants.”
Looking back at the progress of the finalists, something which stood out for Pete right from the beginning is that Roxi had chosen to make a dessert at boot camp, in a challenge which then threw in a mystery ingredient: tomatoes. Making a salted chocolate caramel tart, with half an hour left, she saved her dish with a tomato and gooseberry jam which Pete says was “superb”.
Roxi had a bit of a wobble in Mauritius, but came back strongly after that, said Pete. “I think when they get to the final five or six, they start to think ‘I can actually do this’ and become very focused.”
Siphokazi was a natural from the outset. “There was a skill and a knack with flavours. I’ve said the difference between good chefs and great chefs, is that great chefs are born with that ability to taste, and knowing when flavours are right. Siphokazi has that. She cooked ingredients she had never used before with finesse,” said Pete.
“The best thing about watching her cook is that she is probably her own sternest critic. We could tell when she was bringing something good to the judges’ table because she’d be chomping at the bit for us to taste it. Even when she wasn’t happy with a dish it was often still very good.”
Pete’s favourite thing about Masterchef is that once contestants get into that kitchen there comes a moment of realisation when it dawns on them that they aren’t going back to their old lives. “To be part of that, and to witness the journey is quite magical. Whether it’s a coffee shop, a food blog, a truck, a restaurant, whatever it is – that dream is that much closer for them.”
Watch the Masterchef SA grand finale on December 11 at 7.30pm to see whose dream is going to come true, and look out for A Life Digested in all good bookshops. - Cape Times