Risidale pupil cooks up a storm

Recently, Tamara-Lee Roos entered the Spar Junior Chef 2015 competition and the final was held at the Holi Cow Kitchens in Fourways. Of the six finalists, Robindale resident Tamara-Lee was placed third with a prize of R1 000. Each contestant also received a chef’s hat, apron and oven gloves.

The process of entering was fairly straightforward – an advert was placed in the Risidale Primary School’s newsletter, and the Grade 7 pupil had to fill out a form which her grandmother then emailed. From there she had quite a long wait and she had even forgotten about it when she was told she was accepted.

She had to make two dishes – her signature dish and a surprise dish. Her signature dish is a chicken, soy and honey stir fry. For the surprise dish, they had to “build a burger” so she decided to make a holiday-themed burger, complete with pineapple.

Tamara feels she learned a lot in terms of handling pressure and also managed to tweak her culinary skills. She also enjoyed the overall experience. She added, “The atmosphere was really nice. They did make us laugh a few times. It was very welcoming.” The contestants were also allowed to ask questions if something confused them.

Becoming a chef is definitely something she would consider pursuing as a career as the judges complimented her on her cooking techniques and her food.

When asked what advice she would give to anyone considering entering the next competition she said, “It’s mainly about having fun and meeting new people and enjoying yourself. It’s about teaching yourself new things.”