by Thinus Ferreira
Homebrew Films and Primedia's MasterChef SA, produced for the South African public broadcaster's SABC3, has won Best Cooking Show at the South African Restaurant Awards - the first time this prize category has been introduced.
The fifth season of MasterChef South Africa, filmed at Atlantic Studios in Cape Town and with Pick n Pay as the headline sponsor, switched from M-Net (DStv 101) to SABC3, making the localised reality competition format show available to a broader South African TV audience.
The MasterChef SA 5th season winner was Bridget Mangwandi - the youngest-ever winner and the first black woman to claim the trophy.
"This extraordinary show has changed my life – and those of the other contestants who excelled at representing our country’s different cultures and cuisines. All the exposure on the national broadcaster has been a treasured launch pad for our culinary dreams and careers."
"Thank you to Lala Tuku and her team at the SABC for showcasing our talent, the producers and sponsors, and the millions of fans who rooted for us – when we competed in the MasterChef Kitchen and now voted for us to receive SARA's Best Cooking Show award. We are honoured and grateful."
