Episode 5 of MasterChef South Africa aired last week and of course I have to share my views. Having been part of the fourth season of MasterChef, I can’t help but compare while watching the show. 

A fun fact - my lighting company LLSA supplied all the lights in the pantry and around the studio, and we are mentioned as a sponsor in the credits. 

Spoiler Alert

If you are behind, I recommend you stop reading now!
Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants, or read the summaries from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up.

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

Looking back - What happened on the previous MasterChef episodes?

In the first episode, contestants had to make a chicken dish with a sauce or a broth, but for it to be at MasterChef-worthy standard. They were given 90 minutes and their dish needed to include a mirepoix (a mixture of diced vegetables cooked on a low heat in oil or butter) and it needed to include a Bouquet Garni, which is a bundle of herbs. In traditional French cuisine this includes parsley, bay leaves and thyme but other herbs can be added too. 

What was most shocking about this first episode, is that the contestants went down from 20 to 15 in one go. The contestants who were eliminated in the first episode were Lucas, Lesego, Robyn, Andrew and Ella. 

In the second episode, contestants had to use the single humble ingredient of an apple, and think of the apple of their eye in their life when cooking. The contestants were allowed to make something sweet or savoury.  No contestants were eliminated and Naledi won the mystery box challenge.

In the third episode, Naledi was up in the gantry as a reward for winning the mystery box challenge in the previous episode. The remaining contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Tina, Bridget and Amo had made the best pepper steak pies, and Tina won the elimination challenge. Nash, Lona and Melanie found themselves in the bottom three and Melanie was eliminated. 

In the fourth episode, the contestants were asked to pay tribute to and draw inspiration from the judges’ star signs when creating their dishes in this challenge. They couldn’t choose which judge’s star sign they were going to base their dish on, but it was an elimination based on chance as they had to choose a card in order to determine which protein they would be cooking. Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three. Zakariyya Ibrahim (Zak) went home as his curry failed to deliver. According to Judge Katlego, the lack of seasoning was his downfall and both the rice and carrots were overcooked, and the dish was not balanced.

MasterChef South Africa Episode 5

The fifth episode of MasterChef South Africa season 5 showed the judges Justine Drake, Zola Nene and Katlego Mlambo dressed in all-black. The contestants are surprised, when the lights dim and the MasterChef kitchen turns into a catwalk, with fashion models wearing incredible outfits strutting in. Up next, Zola welcomes the guest judge - Jackie Burger.

The Guest Judge - Jackie Burger

The guest judge for this episode was Jackie Burger, not a chef this time like Chef Nokx Majozi in episode 3, but an icon nonetheless: Jackie Burger is the founder of Salon58 (“a place where women can meet to be informed, entertained and inspired”) and former editor-in-chief at ELLE South Africa. She lives in Prince Albert in the Klein Karoo and calls herself a “Karoo dweller” in her Instagram bio.  

Fashion and food follow the same process and so it should be no surprise that there is cross pollination between the two.

The Challenge

Judge Justine Drake explained to the contestants that the interaction between food and fashion is not frivolous: “You eat with your eyes. It is not just about flavour, but about textures and colours.”  The MasterChef Top 14 contestants were challenged by guest judge Jackie Burger to use the pantry, filled with Pick n Pay produce to their benefit and make their own creative interpretation of one of the outfits on to a plate: “The model closest to you is wearing the design of what we want you to recreate.” They have two hours to plate their dish.

When asked what elements she would like to see these contestants to interpret, the former ELLE editor-in-chief replied that she’d like to see colour and texture, including the layering of the outfit, which provides a nuance of something unexpected that should be translated into the dish as well.

On the MasterChef South Africa instagram page, some hilarious behind-the-scenes are shown as a fly thought it’s the real star and not even fashion icon Jackie Burger could keep this diva under control!

The MasterChef contestants’ Fashion-fused-with-food Dishes

Because the MasterChef contestants had all been asked to inspire their dish on the outfit their designated model was wearing, the dishes were all very different interpretations of different outfits. There was a lamb rack with spinach, beurre balance sauce, pea & basil, a beef fillet with charred mealie, a deboned chicken with Chinese pickled cabbage, a pasta, a gazpacho…

The Judges’ Verdict

Judge Justine Drake called Nabela, Ketsia and Tebogo to step forward.

Nabela had made Steak & black squid ink pasta with root vegetables, cream purée & Buddha’s hand citrus paired with turmeric, whisky and cream pictured. The judges and guest judge were ‘speechless’ about “the detail, the intelligence” and called it ‘faultless’ as all elements from the pattern, to the sauce lots of whiskey. Her use of a black plate was also the right choice. According to some of the judges, the sauce needed flambéing, although Katlego said he “didn’t mind the alcohol,” which made all of the other judges laugh. All in all, the judges said, Nabela showed “some genuine talent”. 

Ketsia had been tasked to with the hardest job of all as she had to translate an all-black melodramatic outfit into a beautiful dish. Justine Drake: “I wondered where it would go. And boy did you go.” 

About Tebogo’s gazpacho with oysters, buddha fingers and lemon sorbet, Justine said: “You gave us sunshine on a plate. You really did interpret it incredibly well . The flow was absolutely beautiful. Well done.“ And with that, Tebogo was announced the winner of the challenge.

The Bottom Three and Elimination

Up next, Zola called Amogelang Maluleke (Amo), Tzu Ting Long (Tina) and Penny forward.

Amo had made a fettuccine pasta - with basil & herb pesto, honey glazed pork & soy sauce Although Amo’s dish wasn’t perfect, he was commended for taking the risk of cooking pasta for the first time in this challenge.

Tina’s Italian meringue with vanilla cake & almond was the worst dish in this episode, and Tina was eliminated. This was surprising after she won the pressure test in the third episode cooking the best version of Chef Nokx Majozi’s signature pie, and doing very well in the second episode as well, when she made two bao buns: one sweet using apple custard and one savoury using pork belly. Of course Tina is the queen of bao buns - she runs a factory producing dumplings which she sells through her website Home Bao (read my blog post about Tina here).

Tzu Tings Long (Tina)

Tina is an absolute legend, and I was sad to see her go. In the diary room, she shared what her dad told her before he passed on and which gave her the courage and the wisdom to start her business. “He said - ‘Tina, If you live your life with no fear, then your death will be one with no regret’.” 

MasterChef South Africa episode 6

Looking ahead, the preview of the sixth episode of MasterChef South Africa gave us a hint of what the next episode will be about. There will be a team challenge - my worst whilst I was a contestant in season 4, but a great way to find out who’s cut out for the kitchen, as a team challenge teaches you to work together with others, and cook at scale.

Who will win MasterChef South Africa season 5? Time will tell…

MasterChef Season 5 Episode Summaries

Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants, or read the summary from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up:

• Episode 1 - Twenty MasterChef contestants cook a chicken dish, but only 15 remain

• Episode 2 - The MasterChef contestants cook for the the Apple of their Eye in a mystery box challenge

• Episode 3 - Chef Nokx Majozi Signature Pepper Steak Pie

• Episode 4 - Paying tribute to the Judges’ Star Signs

• Episode 5 - Translating Fashion into Food with guest judge Jackie Burger (this page)

• Episode 6 - Buffet of New Beginnings at Durbanville Hills wine estate

• Episode 7 - Leftovers and South African staples

• Episode 8 - Potatoes, Air Fryers, an Immunity Pin and two Special Guests

• Episode 9 - Cabbage, cabbage, cabbage

• Episode 10 - A fusion of South African and Italian

• Episode 11 - Heritage Trinity: Wors, Skilpadjies on the Hibachi and a Starch

• Episode 12 - Life’s Tiny Pleasures - a Taste Challenge and Micro Fine Dining

• Episode 13 - A Pressure Test cooking Chef Moses Moloi’s “Enchanted Forest Elegance”

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

Or click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants.

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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