Local duo cook up a storm on MKR reality show
Nicole Graham and Zamatonga Madondo-Tembe are being put through their paces in the kitchen in the latest reality TV show, My Kitchen Rules.
LOCAL cooking enthusiasts, Nicole Graham and Zamatonga Madondo-Tembe, who share a love for champagne, food, family, as well as the city of Durban, are being put through their paces in the kitchen in the latest reality TV show, My Kitchen Rules.
Nicole, a city councillor, and Zamatonga, an entrepreneur who owns her own investment business, decided to enter the TV show, which is currently airing on MNET’s channel 101 on a Sunday, on a whim.
“We both love food, people and entertaining and we came across the audition call and thought we would give it a bash. The rest is now history!” said Nicole.
The show caters to people from different walks of life who are passionate home cooks. It’s a team competition, so working together is crucial to every team’s success in the kitchen.
“We both like traditional, hearty food. I love oxtail, curries and slow cooks. Zama grew up on traditional food, but loves lighter food these days. We both adore seafood and sushi. We hope our food cooked on the show will feature a bit of local flavour, with an emphasis on the fusion that Durban is known for,” she said.
The women said the experience has been incredibly exciting but also quite daunting, as cooking for family and friends is quite different to cooking under immense pressure with cameras on you.
“The people in our group are amazing and we have enjoyed getting to know them. Travelling around SA to meet people and eat good food is a dream come true,” they said.
“Our mothers and grandmothers have definitely been instrumental in terms of how and what we cook. We are also internet mavericks – YouTube, blogs, recipe books! Our passion about food and the learning process is continuous,” they said.
Nicole and Zamatonga admit they have learnt a lot about themselves and each other during the process.
“The competition requires a lot of patience and introspection, and the prospect of cooking for a chef like David Higgs is pretty scary. We continue to try to make this a positive learning experience all round,” they said.
