Karen van der Merwe (38), who grew up in the scenic Glenvista area of Johannesburg South, and now resides in Alberton on the East Rand, brings energy, life and gratitude to everything she does, reports Alberton Record.

While the kitchen is her happy place, she also calls herself ‘the luckiest mama and wife on earth’. This is partly because of her two fulfilling, self-designed jobs.

In the mornings, after completing the school runs, she is a well-organised personal assistant at her husband’s engineering firm, and in the afternoons, she becomes the devoted caregiver for her two young children.

Something else that gives Van der Merwe immense joy is spending time outdoors and in the bushveld. This is the perfect tonic for her adventurous spirit, a time to admire animals in the wild, and an opportunity for clay-pigeon shooting, her favourite pastime.

However, nothing matches the thrill of taking a shot at the MasterChef South Africa title.

She will be banking on her previous reality show competition experience and her proven ability to rely on her instincts to pin down a flavour sensation that will surprise the judges.

“I think my God-given palate is my strength. It’s something that cannot be taught,” she says.

It worked in her favour when she and her best friend Tenille Dreyer made it to the final of My Kitchen Rules South Africa.

Share some of your highlights on MasterChef SA?

“Being part of MasterChef South Africa is a lifelong dream come true by itself! Sharing my childhood memories with South Africa and creating dishes that represent that was incredibly special.

“In terms of cooking, both the onion and burger challenges were highlights for me. I love, really love onions, and being given the opportunity to create a dish that celebrates the majestic onion and really get creative with it was delightful.

“Something as simple as a burger can also become completely terrifying in the MasterChef kitchen against the ticking clock, but, luckily for me, I kept my composure and stayed calm.

“The result: My dish was chosen as one of the top five. Finally, one of my dishes made it to the top.

“In my opinion, my onion dish and the dreaded ox kidney dish during the nose-to-tail challenge were better, but I’m glad that my Asian burger satisfied the judges’ palates to my advantage. Maybe I should strategise and simplify in future cooks.”

Your most embarrassing moment in the current show?

“Goodness gracious me, my English deserted me from time to time. I don’t know if it has anything to do with nerves, but I’m grateful that we were allowed to speak in our mother tongues this season. So, I stuck to my roots and spoke Afrikaans.”

How is cooking on the show different from cooking in your own kitchen?

“When you’re at home, watching the MasterChef versions from around the world is easy to criticise, and I’ve done that before. I mean, cooking is cooking, right? No, wrong. Somehow, you lose the ability to hold a knife and to think clearly about what you’re doing. Everything you know disappears, and you stand there doubting all the strengths that got you a spot in MasterChef South Africa in the first place.

“And an hour? An hour literally feels like 15 minutes in the MasterChef kitchen! As a mommy, I push out beautiful meals in under an hour every day of my life, so how is it suddenly possible to struggle to deliver a four-component dish? Not to mention attempting an onion dish with seven elements. That’s the reality when you combine pressure, nerves, cameras, and the unknown. What an experience!”

Do you think your cooking skills and creativity are good enough to bag the title?

“Obviously, when competing against other big foodies and home cooks, everyone knows their way around the kitchen, but I believe my persistence in seeking perfection, comparable to global MasterChef standards, my palate, and ability to balance flavours definitely give me an edge. That is the challenge I set for myself, competing not only against South African contestants but also against international MasterChef standards.”

Should I win, what does the future hold?

“This is so big. Bigger than I could ever imagine. My own adventure cooking show is high on my list. I’m planning a next-level show that I can’t reveal too much about at the moment, but it might become a reality soon. Watch this space.

“I would also love to publish my own cookbook with a little twist and create food-related content for companies and products in the food industry, which I’ve been doing for the past four years.”

• MasterChef South Africa premieres in its new home on e.tv on Sundays at 18:00, with simultaneous streaming on eVOD Live TV. Episodes are rebroadcast on Saturdays at 17:00, with additional rebroadcasts on eExtra on Saturdays at 20:30 and eReality on Sundays at 17:00.

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