Nandi is Pimville’s newest cooking star
"I may not have won but I am eternally grateful to have made it to the Top 2 in such a highly competitive challenge."
It has been a 13-week journey of cooking challenges, twists and turns, taste sensations, peppered with a touch of drama.
But like all good things, the first season of KFC Taste Kitchen has come to an end.
However, it is a new beginning for Ali Nangamso and Nosizwe Mji, who were named the winners in a riveting finale that aired on Friday, October 6 at 7 pm on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161).
The culinary power couple, whose love and support for each other came alive on screen, won KFC’s first-ever reality cooking show, and took home the coveted R1 million-grand prize as well as the title of the Ultimate Home Cooking Duo.
The runner-ups were Natasha Gumede and Nandi Tshabalala who walked away with another amazing prize of half a million.
Nandi Tshabalala is Pimville’s very own and she said that her love for cooking began when she was really young. She said that she used to watch her grandmother and mother cook.
“I loved the smell of the different types of food and coming from a pretty large family, we didn’t need a better reason to gather than spending time with family. My favourite is good old South African soul food, samp, mogodu and a hearty mutton potjie,” she said.
“I entered the competition to challenge myself to do something out of my comfort zone and see how far I would get with it. The fact that a big brand like KFC was such an amazing concept made it even more exciting,” said Tshabalala.
She explained that the competition was tough from the beginning and she came as an individual and was paired on the show but her partner left for personal reasons.
By sheer coincidence, Natasha didn’t have a partner too so they decided to go on the magical journey together and it proved to be the best decision they have made for each other.
“I may not have won but I am eternally grateful to have made it to the Top 2 in such a highly competitive challenge. The biggest surprise for me was getting a prize at the end of all the hard work. It was an added bonus to share with my partner, Natasha who has been so instrumental in us getting there. I am also very grateful to KFC for the exposure,” Tshabalala said.
“From here, I am going to continue nurturing and growing myself and my catering business, Nandi’s Catering which I have run for the past 15 years. I hope people in my neighbourhood will see that no dream is too big to attain when you apply yourself and work hard to make it come true. The love and support of my family and friends made me want it even more,” she concluded.
Thabisa Mkhwanazi, Public Affairs Director at KFC Africa said, “What a journey it has been. KFC believes in homegrown talent and providing South Africans with an opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial spirit and their love for Finger-Lickin’ Good food.
We wanted to inspire home cooks and take them on a journey of innovation and explosive taste with the hope of inspiring new local side dishes.
Taste Kitchen has managed to do that in an entertaining way. Congratulations to Ali and Nosizwe and our runners-up Nandi and Natasha, we hope this will give them a platform to reach greater heights.”
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