Pippa Hudson interviews former MasterChef South Africa winner Shawn Godfrey

Written By Shawn Godfrey

Pippa Hudson interview with former MasterChef SA winner on Cape Talk’s ‘Lunch with Pippa Hudson’

I think this was the first time I was referred to as “former MasterChef SA winner” and technically, it’s not true. The top ten MasterChef SA season 5 contestants are still battling it out and the season’s winner will only be crowned later this year. So until then, I’m going to claim my spot as current MasterChef winner, even though season 5 was aired a few years ago.

Pippa Hudson interviewed me on her show “Lunch with Pippa Hudson’” on Cape Talk. If you missed it, you can listen to the recording below. I spoke about my journey since winning MasterChef and how the competition changed my life. 

Below, you can read about the interview, if you don’t want to listen to the recording. But it’s also available on Apple Podcasts, so you can listen on the go!

Lunch with Pippa Hudson on Cape Talk

Pippa Hudson regularly features contestants from Masterchef South Africa on her show. Over the last couple of weeks, she've spoken to some of the people who've been eliminated, as we get closer and closer to finding a winner of the current season. Today, she interviewed me, though as this week wasn't an elimination round and so they decided to instead speak to me after I had been pulled back into the MasterChef kitchen in episode 8. And of course I went through my MasterChef experience without ever being eliminated as I emerged as the winner at the end of the previous season.

Lunch with Pippa Hudson

The Interview

Pippa introduced me as The Roasted Dad but explained how I still juggle my work as an industrial engineer with my work in the kitchen. And she rightfully pointed out that I enjoy both of them still thoroughly.

What's it like to be pulled back into the kitchen this time standing on the judge's side, looking at the desks, looking at all those terrified faces, stressing about what they're going to do as the clock ticks down, when once upon a time that was you? Does it sort of trigger trauma for you, or was it a positive experience?

There was actually a huge positive experience. It was the big thing is I just wanted to get behind the actual counter there. I don't know what it was. As soon as I walked in, there was this adrenaline kick and it felt like I need to actually start fighting in the competition. I had to keep telling myself that I was on the other side now.

The competition was a launch pad for you to unlock your ideas in the culinary space while still juggling the rest of your life. Tell us a little bit more about what you've done on the cooking side since you left the Masterchef kitchen.

Yes, on the cooking side, I've done absolutely crazy amounts of pop-up restaurants. I've actually got another one coming out that is almost sold out in two weeks time at the Annerkant die Berg Festival outside of Rawsonville. And I've been to Uganda, I've cooked up in the mountains with gorillas. I've just had a company reach out to me from Canada. So it looks like I'm going to be cooking in Canada this December. I’ve also cooked in Germany, it's all over the place. So it's been an absolutely wonderful post-Masterchef experience.

I mean, you're a father of three. Your love of food is very much wrapped up in your love of family and your way of showing love to them. And I know that you love to travel together and explore food cultures together. But what is the gift that the Masterchef experience has amplified for you?

I think food really, it's really reminded me that food is a uniter no matter what language, culture or where you are in the world. And I found it bridges all classes, no matter who you are, it brings people together. And I think that's the passion that has really ignited inside of me post-Masterchef, is that I don't think there's any other tool in this world that unites people more than food.

And that's from meeting just the most incredible people from government (remember the MasterChef vs Mayor event?) to private entities to humble people that are running charities. It's just there is something about food in family and in people that unites us and bridges all those gaps. It's definitely become my number one tool for going forward in terms of bringing my kids up in that environment and looking forward, including huge charity events coming up and lots of little things around food that just really does unite.

Someone made a comment on our WhatsApp line that she feels the judges have got their favourites among the contestants. She says, Lona is lovely, but I thought Justine needed to be more neutral last weekend. I'm not going to ask you to comment on individual judging decisions. But from what you saw, having the experience of going back and standing in the judges space and being the person tasting the food instead of preparing it, did you learn something new about the competition from just having that different perspective?

I think what we're going to always remember is that obviously, food and judging and all of that is a very personal thing. And it's also your perspective on the other side of the camera. So I think it's very difficult to obviously know, is it subjective to that person's opinion or not. But for what I can say is all three judges are incredibly talented. They're top of their game and they've been around this block for many, many years. I think we can trust that they're going to look at it with neutral eyes. And also, I suppose, remember it is a cooking TV show, you know. So we're only seeing half of it, but there's really is a lot of criticism that goes on behind the lines, a lot of detail that goes on behind the line. Those decisions that are made, which you see on camera, there is a lot of thought that goes into that. And it's not just a flink dink and quick decision and that person wins. It's a long, steady process that goes on in the background. And remember, an episode gets filmed over a day. While the cook is the exact time frame that you see on the clock, the actual process is a long process in the background. So it's definitely not just to stand up in the front and quickly choose who wins.

I'm so glad you mentioned that, because Shawn, you're right. We only see a fraction of, you know, most of the show ends up on the cutting room floor. We get the final fine-tuned 45, 50 minutes of it. But I mean, from your perspective, when you were called in to taste and to judge, talk us through what is that like? Because I know the one thing people always worry about is how do you get to taste everybody's food still hot, for example, for it to be fair to them all. Do you want to talk to us a little bit more about how it actually works in terms of what you taste at what point?

So it's quite a strange process because a lot of the food you would expect, obviously, like how is the time frames and what's going on? And so obviously, while the cook is actually happening, the judges have the opportunity to go around and taste sauces and try everything. So things are tasted hot. But for obvious reasons that now there's quite a big, you have to reset the studio when it's gone into the final judging section. The food then is tasted cold. And so that is just a part of the process.But we should always remember that it's not just, they don't just suddenly get the dish right at the end. The judges have been with the contestants throughout that, if it's a 90-minute process, they've been with the contestants throughout that 90 minutes. They have seen mistakes, they have seen what's going on. They have also lent over and touched, felt, looked and seen what they're doing. So there's a real perspective. So it's not just a blind tasting in that sense. There is a 360-degree view that the judges are getting.

Thanks for the reminder on that. Now, Shawn, I'm not going to ask you to single out a potential winner unless you want to nail your colours to the mast like that. I'm going to ask you rather more broadly, what did you think of the talent that was on display among this year's crop of cooks? When you got to be in the kitchen with them, watch them at work, taste their food at the end of it, what struck you, surprised you, delighted you, horrified you in that process?

I definitely don't want to comment on who won, but it's an absolutely amazing experience to see the talent that has come through this year. And I almost felt like there was no one standing out further than the others right now. And I think in my season, I think there was, there was quite a few that were starting to, at this stage of the competition, starting to get a bit of a head run almost. There really is some excellent talent. And I think also what is happening in South Africa is food is becoming quite a popular culture item. You know, even a couple of years back, I don't think there was as much emphasis on TV cooking, cooking environment. If you look at it, we've got tons of cooking shows going on right now on TV. And that's starting to accelerate. And I think with that too, people are exploring ingredients, they're exploring tastes, food, as well as remember our restaurant scene has exploded in South Africa. And so I think all of that is just building in a culture of excellence within the chefs. And I think that's represented actually in the pool of the team that is actually in the MasterChef kitchen at the moment.

We're talking to Shawn Godfrey, who was, of course, the winner of the previous season of MasterChef SA, now being called back for some judging duties from time to time. And by the sounds of things, quite enjoying the experience of being in the kitchen on the other side of the tasting bench. Shawn, I mean, you talk about that explosion of access to food and to different cuisines, etc. Did you have the experience, when you were a contestant in the Masterchef kitchen, of ever being asked to play in a space that you just had no knowledge of whatsoever, whether it was a particular ingredient or a particular cuisine or style of cooking you were asked to do, where you felt completely at sea?

Yeah, 100%. I actually think, if I have to be honest, I was probably one of the weakest contestants going in of that top 20. And I don't know if that was just my, I hadn't yet explored, let's say, for example, some of the fancier names of the basis of cooking. I was very much a cook from the heart. And when you hit the MasterChef kitchen, suddenly you are expected to elevate, you are expected to be at the height of your game. You can't really experiment in the kitchen with what you're doing. So when I started, I had to really, really put a lot of effort in. And there was actually multiple cooks that I got into it, and I felt totally out of my depth. One of, I think, the most severe ones was definitely my season, was that the cake competition. I mean, that was just next level. And I just remember at that stage, I think there was three or four of us, and we were at all at once had tears in our eyes. Someone crying in all of us with tears in our eyes, just out of sheer anguish. And I think for me, especially that episode was in a culmination of everything I felt I didn't know, it all had been burst into one episode. Somehow I still came out of it, it's actually on top, but it was still one of those experiences where I look back and I'm like, wow, a few years later, I feel like I've got the experience, I'll probably take it very differently, but back then, it was terrifying.

But that just demonstrates, Shawn, what this competition is all about. Because yes, it's entertainment for the rest of us sitting, watching at home and criticizing and talking about the plating as if we could do it any better ourselves. But really, it's a huge growth opportunity for not just the person who wins the prize at the end of the day, but for everybody who has the opportunity to be in that kitchen. So my last question to you before we say goodbye is, what is the piece of learning or the skill that you cherish most that you acquired in the MasterChef kitchen?

Sure, that's quite a big question. But I think the number one skill that's actually come out of it has been working with public and food, getting to know people and uniting people. I think that that is a skill that I think is hard to hone in the MasterChef kitchen, accelerates you down the absolute Formula One track to unite people. And I'm just loving the experience of uniting my business world, my family and people around me and just doing good in terms of charity as well. It's all coming together around the central glue of food. So it's definitely, I think, the number one thing that came out of it.

Well, Shawn, it's been a joy to watch you again on the other side of the kitchen. And thank you so much for making time to chat to us today on Cape Talk. We wish you all the best.

I hope Canada go and knock their socks off and maybe replace the poutine with a bit of boerewors and see what you can turn them through to. Shawn, just remind us, won't you, in closing, where our listeners can follow your journey, find your recipes, take a look at what you're doing these days. What's the website?

So it's www.theroasteddad.com. And on there, we are blogging about the current MasterChef season, so you can follow basically every week a little update, there's recipes that are going on. Even if you're wanting events, you can go and follow me on what events are coming up in the next month. It's always on our website. So yeah, either through my Instagram or my website.

Here's The Roasted Dad, Shawn Godfrey. Great to have you with us again. Thank you so much for your time and good luck for the future food ventures that lie in wait.

The Roasted Dad is the name of the brand. Now, just a quick reminder that the Masterchef episodes air first on a Saturday evening on S3, SABC3 as it was, at 7:30 p.m. If you can't make it on Saturday night, you have another chance to catch up on Sunday at 6.30 on SABC2, and then the other repeat is on a Wednesday evening back on S3 at 6:00 p.m. Tune in next Saturday evening. It's an S-A meets Italy challenge, the top 10 in action once again.

Thanks again, Shawn Godfrey.

From Lunch with Pippa Hudson: Catch-up with former Masterchef SA winner Shawn Godfrey, 09 Sep 2024

About Shawn Godfrey

Photo credit: Niki M Photography

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 mostly recipes, but also 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).

Sign up to the newsletter below to be kept up to date with events, new recipes and reviews, or contact Shawn to chat about recipe creation, restaurant takeovers and public speaking events.

Shawn Godfrey
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