Get to know Masterchef finalists Seline and Leandri
MIDRAND - Masterchef SA finalists and sisters Seline and Leandri van der Wat entered MasterChef SA with no thought that they would get to the finals.
Seline said, “We kind of entered under the premise that we would not win, but meet new people.”
Seline, an engineer, says her inspiration to cook comes from her dreams of food and she has always loved cooking and baking. She grew up watching cooking shows such as MasterChef UK and Ready Steady Cook; which caught her interest.
On the other hand, her sister Leandri who has just completed her Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering, started cooking out of curiosity. She entered the competition because “Seline pulled me out of bed and told me it would be fun!”
Leandri added that she didn’t actually think that she would be selected. Since Masterchef, Seline has started a company, Esbyseline, which specialises in food experiences, private dinners, pop-up restaurants and wedding cakes. Leandri started a coffee roastery known as Roast Republic.
The sisters are also food writers. Their recipe book Two is coming out in September. When asked about their favourite meals to make, Leandri chose a bulgar wheat salad with sultanas, spinach and pomegranate, served with grilled chicken. Seline loves to cook roast chicken and baking pastries and cakes.
The sisters’ advise upcoming chefs to, “Be prepared for long working hours, read a lot of recipe books, follow their dreams and work hard and get a mentor”.
The Van de Wats were approached by OLX to take part in a cook-off challenge as judges.
On 28 March, they will be in Vorna Valley, at The Swiss Club , 31 Moerdyk Street. Six contestants will be chosen randomly from the crowd.
Follow the sisters on twitter on @selineVW and @This_is_Leandri
Will you attend the cook-off at Vorna Valley? Tell us @MidrandReporter
