Tshiamo secures her place in Hirsch’s Defy Junior Super Chef regional finals
Tshiamo Motubatse (12), a pupil at Maranatha Christian Academy, was the winner of the Hirsch and Defy Junior Super Chef competition which was held recently.
Tshiamo won a Defy hamper and hand blender, along with a “Little Cooks Club” cook book and free class. Tshiamo will go on to compete in the regional finals of the competition, which will be held at Hirsch’s Fourways on July 9. Ten contestants, between the ages of 8 and 13, battled it out in the pop-up kitchen on the showroom floor at Hirsch’s Boksburg.
They had to show off their cooking skills, using a mystery bag of products and cooking on a Snappy Chef induction plate and Defy Microwave Air Oven to impress the judges: Christine Phillips, well known for her recent cook-book (The Timeless Family Food Journal) and founder of the “Little Cooks Club”, and Tommy Dickson/Chef Vaatjie from Weber and Toks en Tjops.
The competition was co-ordinated by Hirsch, ER24 and Little Cooks Team. Philips said that she was extremely impressed by the way the little chefs handled themselves in this particular environment where they had to cook in front of an audience in unfamiliar surroundings. “This decision was so difficult to make as all the dishes were exceptional,” she said.
Tshiamo’s mother, Kedi Motubatse, and her entire family were overcome with excitement. “This is awesome. She really loves cooking, it’s her passion. Tshiamo was doing this for fun, she never thought that she could actually win. I am so proud of my child,” said Motubatse.
“It is brilliant to see so much talent at a young age,” said Dickson.
Second place went to 12-year-old Kamohelo Tinaye Kganane of Woodlands International College (Boksburg), while third place went to Jessica Fitzpatrick of Farramere Primary School (Benoni).
