As the final series of MasterChef South Africa drew to an end recently, the South African Chefs Association congratulates the channel, the producers of the show, the culinary team behind the scenes, as well as the fantastic judges and the contenders who put their heart and soul into the competition.

A stage for South Africa to see the skill, creativity, dedication and passion that goes into being a professional chef, MasterChef South Africa has increased awareness of the profession of cooking and created a buzz around food, ingredients, chefs and the industry.

Not only did MasterChef showcase the skill involved in mastering intricate dishes, it also allowed a greater South African audience to meet some of the talented chefs in our country. From the judges Andrew Atkinson, Pete Goffe-Wood and Benny Masekwameng to the invited guests like Margot Janse and Reuben Riffel, it was fantastic to see the scope of inspiring talents we have in SA.

The culinary talent and hard work behind the scenes was integral to the success of the show too. SACA member and previous vice president of the association, Arnold Tanzer was culinary producer of the show, and did a fantastic job of leading his culinary team to create exciting challenges that were difficult, but doable, and fantastic to watch being created on screen. Arnold and his team also controlled the immense MasterChef pantry and selected the ingredients necessary for the mystery box challenges.

SACA was involved in the early stages of MasterChef too. President of SACA, Stephen Billingham and other senior SACA members helped to judge the over 6,000 entries into MasterChef SA country-wide and Stephen also taught the top 18 contenders a number of culinary skills to prepare them for the competition that lay ahead.

Congratulations to MasterChef SA winner Deena Naidoo, a well-deserved win in a tough competition. SACA wishes you all the best in you culinary career.

SACA looks forward to being a part of the next MasterChef South Africa.