Tavern chefs turn up the heat
Fifteen tavern chefs sliced, stirred and spiced it out in a close contest as they turned up the gas in the Durban heat. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Final was the third leg in the Mzansi Tavern Chef Cook-off competition, following the opening event in the Western Cape.
THE KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Mzansi Tavern Chef Competition took place at the Chefs Training and Innovation Academy (CTIA) in Morningside on Tuesday, April 18. Fifteen tavern chefs competed in the third leg of the competition following the opening event in the Western Cape.
The KZN Mzansi Tavern Chef Competition is a partnership between Distell, Nederburg and the National Liquor Traders, with each provincial winner scoring prizes to the value of R30K towards food serving in their outlets and the opportunity to compete in the National Grand Final for the chance to win the ultimate prize of a tavern makeover to the tune of R100K.
The three judges at the competition were Jackie Olivier, marketing manager of Premium Wines, and Masterchefs Pete Goffe-Wood and Benny Masekwameng, who after tasting an array of mouth-watering dishes, awarded Bongiwe Shange, from Leon’s Tavern in Inanda, first prize. Shange served a dish of mutton curry with steamed bread and salsa salad and walked away with a R30K cheque, impressing the judges with her tasty local dish.
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“We’ve been simply blown away by the standard of cooking we’ve experienced here today, and picking a winner has been tough,” said Goffe-Wood. “We are discovering just how much cooking talent we have, which just needs the right encouragement and support to shine, and I hope this competition becomes a catalyst for township food culture to grow.”
Distell KZN regional general manager, Dave Cairns, said the competition builds on the company’s food-serving campaign through its Bansela customer-rewards programme, in which taverners are rewarded with prizes and incentives for serving food and water, as well as complying with liquor-licence trading principles.
“Our aim with this competition is to amplify the message to drink responsibly and in moderation. From the talent on display here today and the standard of cooking we have seen, I can only say that tavern chefs in the rest of the country are in for a real battle for the ultimate prize of a R100K tavern makeover.”
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