Team ChesaNyama to compete in US
Team ChesaNyama Braai-B-Que, the first South African team to be invited to compete in two major food competitions in the United States, was announced at The Good Food and Wine Show in Illovo on Heritage Day.
In a hotly contested battle, superior braaing skills on the day saw to it that Team ChesaNyama Braai-B-Que will field the strongest possible team at the upcoming Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbeque in Tennessee on 26 October.
The team will travel to Las Vegas where they will compete in the World Food Championships from 7 to 10 November.
Following on from the regional contests around the country, about 13 hopefuls made it through to the finals.
The possibility of becoming a member of the team to represent South Africa at both events saw some stiff competition on the day, with the bragging rights of winning in the US being the cherished goals of any braai master worldwide.
The judges, among them celebrity chef Hayden Quinn of Australian Masterchef fame tucked into the dishes as they tasted and debated the two meals that were prepared.
Contestants were required to prepare a whole chicken for their first dish which was judged on presentation, flavour and tenderness.
The international competitions require that the meat is ‘smoked’ in the American tradition. The finalists used a variety of wood chips to smoke pork ribs in their quest to impress the judges.
“The judges praised all of the finalists for the high standards to which they had prepared their chicken and ribs, but unfortunately there was only place for four finalists on the team. It has been an incredible journey getting to the finals and we look forward to doing well in the competitions, and to passing on a little of our braai culture as we travel across the US in our RVs,” said team captain Borries. Other team members are BraaiBoy (another team captain), Sarel Loots (official representative of lead sponsors ChesaNyama) and Jimmy Baptista (co-sponsor Jimmy’s Sauces), are Mike Poyiadjis, Deon Fourie, Alan Ridley and Hanroe Erasmus. The reserve member Ed Pretorius will remain in the country.
