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Cape Town - The yummiest local cooking competition on TV, My Kitchen Rules South Africa returns for another tasty season this week.
With celebrity chef and musician J’Something and restaurateur extraordinaire David Higgs reprising their roles as the show’s discerning judges, the first 5 pairs of contestants have been revealed.
“This season, the table is set for a food fight of note,” says M-Net’s Head of Publicity, Lani Lombard.
“The home chefs, who come from different backgrounds and have very different palates, are all serious about food and winning the competition. You can prepare yourself for a variety of exotic - as well as some proudly South African - dishes and plenty of fireworks in the kitchen and around the table.”
In the first episode of season 2, we meet Table One, hosted by Jalal and Adrie from Rietfontein in Pretoria.
Speaking about what to expect, series producer Anton Burggraaf revealed “the challenges are more exciting and are definitely one up from last season.”
Burggraaf added: “This year we really took a look at what’s on trend, so you’ll see that there are a lot of challenges that relate to current trends in South Africa.”
READ MORE: We got a first taste of My Kitchen Rules SA season 2
MEET TABLE ONE HERE:
1. Minnie & Tee
Sparkling and vivacious “millennials” Minenhle Ntuli (23) and Nomthandazo Xaba, (20), or “Minnie and Tee”, as everyone calls them, met at a TV show audition and immediately became BFFs.
They’re both studying at the University of KZN and are both musicians, radio hosts and MCs for private and school events, and share the same food style and tastes.
Minnie and Tee confess that they love eating as much as they love cooking, especially if it’s the type of food you’ll find in a traditional African home. There’s one ingredient they can’t live without – Aromat! In My Kitchen Rules SA, the two entertainers want to show the world that it’s possible to modernise traditional cuisine without diminishing the African experience.
2. Rox & Spoen
Rox (28) and Spoen (23) Green are sporty, fun-loving, farm girls from the beautiful countryside of Winterton in KZN. Inspired by locally-sourced produce and the seasonal harvest table of Mother Nature, these sisters are all about nutritious, wholesome farm-style food, with a youthful twist.
Like two peas in a pod, they both studied at the University of Stellenbosch, both organise major sports-related public events in the Midlands and have participated in numerous biking competitions around the world.
3. Jalal & Adrie
It was love at first sight, more than 22 years ago, when Jalal - who grew up in Casablanca, Morocco - was struck by the green eyes of Sannieshof “boeremeisie” Adrie at Bible College. Since then, Jalal (46) and Adrie (48) have been cooking together every night in their family’s happy place, the kitchen.
The doting mom and dad from Rietfontein, Pretoria describe their food style as “North meets South, fire & ice and sugar & spice”. They enjoy honest, authentic, rustic Mediterranean food and are intrigued by different cultures and languages. For them, food is a unique extra language that they speak with friends and family.
4. Tarryn & Diego
Married couple Tarryn (33) and Diego (36) Fernandez live in River Club, Johannesburg, where you’ll often find them experimenting with bold Argentinean-inspired flavours and cooking methods with a distinctive South African flair. Diego, who was born in Buenos Aires, is fluent in Spanish and the couple admit that his cultural background and delicious self-made ingredients often make their way into their dishes. The passionate, football-crazy foodie is also the inventor of authentic Argentinian sauces, the recipes for which, he keeps close to his chest.
Together, Tarryn and Diego form a formidable team who complement each other in surprising ways. Corporate travel manager Tarryn confesses that she’s competitive and opinionated - especially when matters conflict with her no-time-for-nonsense policy. She’s also the messy one in the kitchen, which can sometimes cause Diego to fuss – but they both have a low tolerance for poor attitudes and bad food.
5. Kim & Pashi
Soon-to-be-engaged Kamisha Naidoo (27) from Yellowwood Park and Pashi Reddy (32) from Kloof, Durban, describe themselves as soul mates, dreamers, and risk-takers with adventurous palates. Their food is a fusion of ‘old meets new’ and ‘East combined with West’ – all spiced with exotic ingredients and a love for authentic street food and culture.
This dynamic, glamorous duo hope to one day open their own signature restaurant filled with culture, theatre, passion, spice and punchy flavours.
Kim, a former air hostess who is now studying Educational Psychology, loves make-up artistry and meditation while her business owner beau enjoys games of strategy, like chess and poker, as well as competitive sport.
Tune in to M-Net (DStv 101) on Sunday, 3 June at 18:00 to see what will be brewing in the kitchen of Table One’s Instant Restaurant of My Kitchen Rules SA Season 2!
(Photos: Supplied by M-Net)
