Take a masterclass with MasterChef Australia’s Ben Ungermann

The two-hour masterclasses take place at Capsicum Culinary Studio campuses in Pretoria on March 11; Johannesburg (March 12 and 13); Port Elizabeth (March 15), Cape Town (March 18, 19, 20 and 21); and Durban (March 25, 26 and 27).

He will be presenting three classes: The Whole Chicken Masterclass in which he will demonstrate how to use every part of a chicken; The Fish Masterclass on how to fillet and cook fish perfectly every time; and The Dessert Masterclass which includes some of his famous desserts.

In 2017, the 34-year-old decided to pursue his dream of a life in the world of food on MasterChef Australia. Since then, he has been travelling from Japan to England and Indonesia as well as his homeland the Netherlands, giving masterclasses.

What have you been doing since your last visit to SA?

I have been honing my skills in kitchens around the world and have settled in Indonesia where I’ve become an ambassador for a cooking brand, made a guest appearance on MasterChef Indonesia and am working on opening my new milk bar/retro diner concept in Seminyak.

Tell us about this year’s SA masterclasses and what people attending can expect?

It will be about techniques attendees can use to aid them at home, to make their ingredients stretch further and help with plating to make it look gourmet, just like on the show.

What do you believe are the latest food trends?

People are exploring a vegetarian and vegan diet. I am a carnivore and I love meat but it’s no lie, to produce protein that ends up on the plate takes a larger toll on the environment.

Do you have plans to visit any SA restaurants?

My last time here I visited Restaurant Mosaic which was absolutely phenomenal. Chef Chantel Dartnall is remarkable. I would love to explore Cape Town which I’ve heard is the food capital of South Africa.

What are you most looking forward to on this trip?

Meeting South Africans.

Tell us a bit about your ice cream shop in Australia?

Ungermann Brothers in Australia is a shop that presents gourmet, out-of-the-box flavours to the public. All our ice cream is preservative free, we use the freshest local ingredients and it is completely natural with no stabilisers.

Three favourite ice cream flavours?

My organic carrot cake, which has become my absolute favourite. Secondly, my salted caramel bacon and pecan, and the third is boysenberry, it’s just one of those flavours which gets me.

• For more information, call Keirisha at 086-111-2433 or e-mail chef@capsicumcooking.co.za.
• Go to Capsicum Culinary Studio for the schedule.
• Book tickets now on Quicket.

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