by Thinus Ferreira
Chef Katlego Mlambo will also be a taste tester on the new 5th season of MasterChef South Africa coming to SABC3, completing the judging trifecta comprising Zola Nene and Justine Drake.
While the already-announced Zola Nene and Justine Drake as returning judges to the Homebrew Films cooking competition reality show based on the Banijay format, Katlego Mlambo is new.
He replaces Gregory Czarnecki in the show that will still be filmed in Cape Town but is switching from M-Net to SABC3 with a prize money of R1 million when it starts airing from mid-June.
Previously Katlego Mlambo was a guest judge on MasterChef SA and also fronted his own shows, Inside Job with Katlego Mlambo in 2021 and Everyday Wow! in 2022 both on the Food Network (DStv 175).
Primedia Studios which is picking up global competition show formats for further South African versions and seasons, is producing the 5th season with the tried-and-trusted Homebrew Films which produced the third and fourth seasons.
The Pick n Pay pantry will also be back from the previous season with the retailer which is once again the show's main sponsor.
Katlego Mlambo previously cooked for high-profile dinner guests ranging from Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey to Black Coffee, as well as Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
"My first four culinary mentors
were the home cooks who raised me – my granny, mother and two aunts," Katlego Mlambo says.
"My
grandmother would whip up amazing dishes on Sundays and I was absolutely
enthralled by how basic ingredients could turn into the tastiest banana bread
and scones. So, I became this little sous chef in our home
kitchen."
The Eldorado Park-born food fanatic then decided to travel internationally, creating opportunities to master his craft at top restaurants across the world, with stints in international restaurants in Great Britain and the United
States.
In South Africa he studied at the highly regarded Silwood School of Cookery
and later raked in several prestigious accolades, including the 2019 Eat Out
Nederburg Rising Star Award.
That was also the year he jetted to Washington as
appointed head chef for the Nelson Mandela Centenary Celebrations, hosted at the Smithsonian Museum in
Washington. The event was attended by 500 of the most prominent leaders and
celebrities in the world.
Katlego Mlambo's flair behind the pots and pans and his unique food fusion earned the jazz eatery Marabi Club the African Restaurant of The Year gong at the Luxe Awards.
"It's amazing to know that I will be part of a show that's a global
phenomenon. It's proof that if you believe in something, see it and taste it,
it can become a reality. Being a MasterChef SA judge was on my bucket list."
Of judging he says "Even though I will be on the
receiving end, tasting and judging the food whilst mentoring the contestants, I
know I will also be inspired by their creations from ingredients in the Pick n Pay pantry. One can never stop learning, and I can't wait to experience the
variety of cuisine created by contestants from different South African
backgrounds".
