Who is Shawn Godfrey really?

When I initially applied to be a contestant on Masterchef South Africa, season four, I had to fill out a long application form. These are some of the questions that were asked then - and the answers I gave at the time.

Personal

How old are you?

I turned 37 in March, so I was 34 while MasterChef was being filmed.

Where are you from?

I was born in Gqeberha (then Port Elizabeth) and moved to Cape Town in 2013.

What did you study?

I have a Bachelors in Industrial Engineering.

How many children do you have?

I have a four-year-old son named Aiden a daughter named Olivia (Liv) who is two and we have just had another little boy named Harvey, who was born in February!

What work do you do?

I am an entrepreneur. I (co-)own several companies with The Roasted Dad as my latest venture. I absolutely love what I do! I’m a passionate entrepreneur and I am driven by development and new experiences. Running these companies gives me the freedom and outlet to express my passion.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Realising my entrepreneurial dreams by leading a company of 90+ people through severe covid economic times and launched two additional startups during the pandemic.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Go-getter

How would someone who knows you describe your best qualities?

Charismatic, self motivated, passionate, perfectionist, tenacity, positive mindset. I love telling stories and am a born entertainer, a real people’s person.

What are your hobbies, interests, and sports?

My hobbies are cooking, being entrepreneurial, house design and gardening. Sport…. What’s sport?

What is a major event that impacted your life?

Two events reset my future:

Firstly, my son's birth reset everything. After a dream pregnancy, my wife was rushed into theatre when labour didn’t progress. We weren’t worried as emergency Caesar’s are common, but the obstetrician’s panic in her voice as he came out made us realise things were about to change. He was handed to the paediatrician who ended up resuscitating him and working on our little guy right through the night. The next morning, we were told that he was likely to have some form of brain damage, autism or another condition due to the lack of oxygen. The issue was later diagnosed as fetal-maternal haemorrhage and left us wondering for the duration of his ten days in NICU what his little life would be like on the other side! To this day we 100% believe we have a miracle baby as he beat all the odds and today is as healthy as could be.

The second life changing event was when my long standing business mentor and confidant in the business world, Andrew Glenday, passed away in 2018 after a short period of having cancer. I joined his company as a young engineer and he groomed me to be the Sales Director with the intention of taking over the company. This happened sooner than expected when one day suddenly my current business partner and I were thrust into handling a 90+ person company at the mere age of 30. Andrew’s legacy lives on in all my passion for startups and building businesses.

Social Media Channels

What Social Media Channels are you on?

I’m on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Shawn Godfrey and Cooking

How often do you cook?

I cook for my family every night and on the weekend often for larger groups of friends and family (COVID-allowing). Nothing makes me happier than people around a table experiencing new things and through food I create that experience.

How long have you been cooking?

Approximately 20 years, but actively pursuing culinary skills for five years.

Have you ever worked as a cook or caterer?

No, being on Masterchef was the first time I started cooking for someone other than friends and family.

What is your cooking style?

I absolutely love pushing the boundaries of ingredient combinations and often use strong flavours and spices from different continents. I previously leaned a lot on both Asian and Middle Eastern flavours however since entering Masterchef, I have been focussing on South African ingredients and dishes. Lately, I have been experimenting with cooking nose-to-tail dishes and challenging myself to elevate offal to fine dining levels.

What are your first memories of cooking/being in the kitchen?

I remember making a lasagna for the family when I was ten or eleven years old, and getting a few ego tickling reviews! Cooking started out as more of a necessity than an interest initially as my mom was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It meant as children we needed to put in some extra help with the chores around the home and I gravitated towards the kitchen. Over the years my parents' open style of parenting allowed us to experiment and make a mess in the kitchen, destroy their taste buds a few times and gain experience as life unfolded. To this day, my parents seem to think the sun shines out my bum when cooking, even when it hasn't exactly gone to plan.

Who is the greatest influence on your cooking and why?

My first major cook book was a Jamie Oliver ONE, it came from my long standing best friend and always loved the simple but yet complex flavours Jamie cooks with. I still to this day watch his video feeds. His passion, family life and enjoyment of cooking feels natural and authentic and close to my own.

Since being on Masterchef, I have gotten to know a lot of South African legendary chefs who I have come to love and respect.

What are your strengths or secret weapons in the kitchen?

I’m fearless with flavours, if I make a mistake it’s imprinted into my memory for round two and sometimes three before I am satisfied with the result! My ability to adjust along the way has been a secret to not let a dish totally flop, I find myself enjoying the challenge of rectifying a flavour profile that hasn’t gone as intended.

What is your weakness in the kitchen?

Confectionery. My wife likes to bake and I always focused on my savoury palate and skills, however since entering Masterchef I’ve tried to venture more towards the sweet stuff and I have learned a lot since then! I can now confidently make layered cakes which wasn’t the case a few short months ago!

Is there anything that you won’t cook or eat?

No there isn’t. More recently, I have been experimenting quite a bit with cooking offal and I’ve really enjoyed the challenge.

Try my recipes:

About Shawn Godfrey

Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.

Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.

It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.

On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).

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