Style icon and content creator Seth Shezi opens up about winning Celebrity MasterChef South Africa in an exclusive interview with The South African.
SETH SHEZI WINS CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF SOUTH AFRICA
KwaZulu-Natal- born Seth Shezi won Celebrity MasterChef South Africa and the R1 million prize money after defeating media personality Dineo Ranaka. R500 000 off the R1 million will go to a charity. Seth also won an extra R20 000 for the charity of his choice – Ladles of Love, on a previous episode.
Q&A WITH SETH SHEZI
How does it feel to have won Celebrity MasterChef?
Winning Celebrity MasterChef feels absolutely incredible! It’s a wonderful validation of my hard work, curiosity and creativity in the kitchen, and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received throughout this journey. I’ve been lucky enough to be recognised as a style icon by GQ Magazine and that cemented my place in fashion, now winning Celebrity Masterchef as a food writer, critic and Tastehunter for Worlds 50 Best Restaurants- it means now I feel I have an even more credible and legitimised opinion that cannot be easily disputed because I’ve had a taste of the heat in the kitchen and prevailed.
How do you plan on spending the prize money?
Well of course half of it is going to charity – I’m sharing it with Laddles Of Love which is a deeply rewarding feeling to be in a position to do good! For myself I have quite decided yet, I’m torn between investing it, or the food need in me is thinking of taking myself on a culinary school course at a reputable chef school in France or Japan, not to open a restaurant but just so I can know more about the intricate techniques of cooking or buying investment pieces of art that I have been eyeing for a while. But as you can tell my mind is not made up yet.
Why is Ladles of Love so close to your heart?
I think in this day and age we tend to tunnel vision. Just because we should care about the environment and animal welfare doesn’t mean we should forget about basic human needs such as a warm plate to eat and so many South Africans still go without this and I think we constantly need to be reminded to still contribute and support organisations that are solely focused on making this basic need available to children and those without structured homes. They are a small organisation so the fact that they feed so many is a huge feat and deserves all the help and given the choice I wouldn’t think twice about helping them again.
LESSONS, THE FUTURE AND MORE
What did you learn from being on Celebrity MasterChef SA?
I learn that things are much easier and less overwhelming when you take yourself out of the equation. Checking the ego at the door and focusing on the purpose, the charity and creating memories with the contestants made what can easily be a mentally taxing experience quite beautiful. It was still grueling but making it about the charity and the camaraderie helped me focus and get in the zone instead of getting overwhelmed.
Did you bring any flavours from KwaZulu-Natal to the MasterChef kitchen?
At every given moment where it fit the narrative I made sure to bring in my KZN influences. In the final my dessert was pan eared pineapples dusted with curry powder like you’d find around the Durban brand front – I just cheffed it up by flambéing it in disaronno for that Italian flair.
Do you have any future plans in the culinary industry?
A LOT of plans and things in the works. From a pop-up menu collaboration with a luxury establishment, a cook book plus global chef 4-hand dinners for charity, that’s all I can mention for now but a lot is brewing. Ideally if the unfurling of it all could be recorded as a series would make it all the more inspiring for others to see that having a collaborative spirit can make big things happen.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SETH SHEZI WINNING ‘CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF’?
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