On Saturday, April 6th, Springfield Retail Centre hosted their annual Curry Cook Off competition which saw 9 finalists cooking for the top spot in each of the 3 respective categories: seafood, chicken, meat.
Each contestant had a set time to prepare and cook their dish, with ingredients supplied by the Food Lover’s Market from Springfield Retail Centre.
Judging the competition were seasoned professionals, Ramola Makan from Elba/Totai Appliances and renowned cook book author; Executive Chef from the Endless Horizons Group, Gordon Manuel; Frank Chemaly – Independent Media food critic and journalist, and Guy Gorrie, Executive Chef from Royal Palm Hotel, who had the tough decision of determining each category winner.
The judging criteria included elements such as creativity of the dish, team name as well as the taste of the dish, to name a few.
All the finalists were enthusiastic and had the crowds, which included family and friends, cheering them on during their allocated cooking time slots. 1st place in each category won R5 000 in cash, as well as a 2 plate gas stove and skillet sponsored by Totai. 2nd place winners each received R2 000 and R1 000 went to the teams that came in 3rd place.
Congratulations go to the following category winners and runner ups:
Seafood Category:
1) “The Breezy Breeze Inns” – with Annie and her son Shivan Lahldas from Tongaat
2) “The Spicy Fishy Drones” – with Samson Maistry and his assistant Thobile Ngwenya from Tongaat
3) “The Fiery Hot Chilli Preppers” – with Pravina Pillay and her assistant Rockiya Fyzoo from Glenwood
Chicken Category:
1) “The Spice Queens” – Samantha Rampersad and her assistant Simone Hussain from Clare Estate
2) “The Distinguished Chefs” – Tanusta with her mother Omela Jainarain from Reservoir Hills
3) “Flames of Fire” – Vanitha Maharaj with her daughter Kanniamma Pillay from Chatsworth
Meat Category:
1) “The Curry Queens” – Meena Sewpersad with her daughter Lathisha Bugwandin from Shallcross
2) “The Untouchables” – Thaveshan Govender with his partner Prieska Bhowani from Newlands
3) “The Kaeshur Chefs” – Samiya with her husband Khalid Gul from the Berea
Bernice Clarisse, the new property manager for Springfield Retail Centre, said that she was so delighted by the turnout of supporters and the quality of the meals created by the home cooks who entered.
Overall, all the winners were overjoyed with their respective wins and all participants thanked their family & friends who came out and showed their support!
