“I was sad to go, but not disappointed at all,” said Karen, a mother figure to the last six remaining contestants. “I left with a smile on my face and a very grateful heart. I didn't give up at all, but accomplished so much more than I ever thought I would. I had the time of my life, all thanks to MasterChef South Africa (MCSA).”
Karen's last dish in the MCSA kitchen was her bobotie, followed by an Ethiopian dish, which saw her voted out.
“I think I was a bit over-ambitious with the beans (in my Ethiopian dish). I didn't want to use the canned beans, because we had a pressure pot and 75 minutes to work with. But maybe that would have been a safer option. But for the dish itself, I wouldn't change a thing (if I had to do it again).
I am proud of myself for making the top seven and so grateful. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed I would get this far. It was the wow moment in my life.”
Karen and her family relocated to Johannesburg from Howick after filming finished on MCSA. She has since starting her own catering business Heartfood Cakes and Catering, giving cooking classes at a high school. “I also have a passion for charity work, which I want to combine with MNet Cares, and Cupcake for Cancer. A great cookbook, loaded with my love for KZN and its food, is also a big dream of mine.”
Karen will visit her old school Kuswag in October as guest of honour for its matric prizegiving and promises some other surprise visits to Toti in the near future.
“There were a few Toti foodies who also auditioned for MCSA and made it to the top 100, like my good friend Larrinae Ballentyne. All I can say, is just do it. Go and make that first move, and enter MCSA, it's a life-changing experience. Cook with passion and do what makes you happy. And above all, enjoy yourself while you do it.”
