WIN! Benoni home cook realises culinary dream
She would love to run a secluded garden restaurant.
At first glance, Gina Moakamedi is a disarming young woman in her early 20s.
When you see her in Sandton’s Signature Restaurant’s kitchen, it is hard to believe this petite woman from Benoni is not a seasoned chef. She is, in fact, a home cook.
Recently, Gina and two other home cooks surprised diners at the up-market Signature Restaurant when they made the three-course meal instead of the restaurant’s professional culinary team.
She is one of the home cooks selected by Robertsons for the Famous for Flavour campaign, which aims to recognise and celebrate everyday cooks passionate about food, flavours and cooking for those around them.
The 35-year-old mother of three shared her experience.
“I felt honoured to be chosen for the Robertsons campaign because it’s a brand I resonate with. I’ve used their spices since I was a teenager learning to cook. I still use them today,” Gina said.
Her ease as she manoeuvred around the kitchen in her chef jacket contrasted her rough day job as a mechanical engineer for the City of Johannesburg.
As one of the few women in her industry and the oldest child in a family of three children, it is no wonder tackling tasks comes naturally to her.
When asked if she would ever consider leaving her field of work for a permanent role in the kitchen, she insists engineering will always have a place in her heart.
“It’s a career that serves humanity in bettering the world, and I get fulfilment from that.”
She would, however, consider consulting part-time and running a secluded restaurant in a garden with a live band performing regularly.
“I would cook simple meals packed with flavour. A combination of South African, Mexican, Indian, Asian and Italian-inspired flavours. Lots of salads, pasta, curries, tacos, quesadillas, meat, seafood and sushi.”
Enter competition
Robertsons invites South Africans to enter the Famous for Flavour competition to stand a chance to win their share of close to R300 000 in prizes, including cash prizes of up to R20 000 for each of the top three home cooks.
To enter, the home cooks must make their dish using any Robertsons product, take a picture of themselves holding the dish, and sign up on the What’s for Dinner website: (https://www.whatsfordinner.co.za/robertsons/famous-for-flavour/) and upload their photo.
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