Former City Times staffer shines as a baker
Shawn Govender has gone from telemarketer at the City Times, to a contestant on the Great South African Bake Off.
The former Actonville resident came out on top as the star baker in the first episode of the show, which was screened on October 6.
He went through the first two episodes and is now one of only ten remaining bakers.
Govender lived in Actonville until he was 26, working at the City Times for four or five years.
After that he moved around several times, finally settling with his family in Atlasville, Boksburg.
Currently, Govender is working as a design and production manager at Momentum, where he’s been for almost three years.
He said his family convinced him to enter the competition.
“I’ve always enjoyed the kitchen, usually concentrating on baking,” he said.
“My family always nagged me to enter, but I didn’t want to, because I didn’t think myself capable of it.
“I never expected the Great Bake Off to come to South Africa, but when it did, my family encouraged me to enter.”
Without high expectations, Govender entered the competition, but, as it went on, he continually progressed further.
“I’m very happy with my performance so far,” he said.
“I won star baker in the first episode, which brought up my confidence as a baker, but also made me nervous, because then I had to keep it up and prove myself.
“The second episode wasn’t bad, I ended in the middle; but it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the third episode.”
Are you a self-taught baker?
“Absolutely, I either learned from family or baked with my sister when we were younger,” answered Govender.
“There were a lot of flops back then, but I kept improving each time.”
He added that he learns a lot from Google, looking up techniques and other bakers, such as Heston Blumenthal.
“I love Heston’s way of baking, it’s so scientific,” he explained.
“He tries to achieve perfection, a perfect burger for example, and the way he dissects it is great.
“I love experimenting, not to make baking a task.
Becoming a professional baker is not exactly a goal for Govender; he said he’ll have to consider it, but feels it would become a bore if it was a job.
“I think it would become very rigid and just a job, while I enjoy baking now,” he said.
“Maybe I’ll open a deli or pastry shop and see where it goes from there.
“I think I’d prefer to keep it as play, instead of work, as I hate cooking as a duty.”
As the competition is heating up, timing is Govender’s biggest concern ahead.
“I am a bit of a leisure baker,” he commented.
“I have been known to bake one cake over days, so I need to keep track of time so that I’m not falling short towards the end.”
The Great South African Bake Off airs on BBC Lifestyle, DSTV channel 174, every Tuesday at 8pm.
