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ZO FEATURE
10 OCTOBER 2014
www.zululandobserver.co.za
Zululand’s
celebrity chef of the year!
The ‘J apane
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Heavy heat
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kitchen as top chefs chop for DICE in the
DUSCHANKA HITZEROTH
S
Nam Jai House followed this with a main of ‘Fowl Play’ consisting of a summer roll filled with all kinds of delicious ingredients such as coconut egg fried rice, crumbed chicken fillet strips and a mix of fresh vegetables and fruit. The main was finished off with an aioli made with coconut and green curry paste which left food lovers licking their fingers. Spicing up the kitchen on the night, the competitive culinary maestros chopped, cubed and diced a substantial amount for charity. Durban-based The Fusion Cooking School Principal, Chef Patron and guest judge of the night, Shaun Smith, prepared a delectable dessert which many described as ‘an-
ix of Zululand’s top chefs battled it out for the coveted Zululand Chef of the Year title at Umfolozi Casino Resort on Friday at the fourth annual Zululand Observer Do I Care Enough? (DICE) fund-raiser. Nam Jai House walked away as the proud winners of the title for the second consecutive year. The team kicked off with a mouthwatering starter dubbed ‘Japanese Garden’, a prawn toast topped with garlic, spring onion, philadelphia and crumbed panko. It also included a sweet chilli mousse, drizzled with a reduction sauce made from organic hibiscus flowers garnished with micro greens and edible flowers. It was topped off with a shrimp poached in lemon grass, lime leaves and lemon zest. The winning starter was not only tasty, but also beautifully presented.
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gels dancing on one’s tongue’. While the crowd waited on the judges to tally the votes, dancers of the Empangeni Dance Academy entertained the audience with fun routines. Funds raised at the cook-off will be donated to DICE, which will be used for ‘Christmas Cheer’ parcels providing food to underprivileged families and gifts to children.
team
Nam
Jai Ho use
10 OCTOBER 2014
www.zululandobserver.co.za
ZO FEATURE
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PHOTOS: Duschanka Hitzeroth
The winning team of Nam Jai House with DICE Operations Manager Linda Zeelie (back left), judge Shaun Smith and chef and owner Anne-Marie Benecke
Megan Hendrickse and Sunet Faurie came out on Friday night in support of charity
Sous Chef of Protea Hotel The Richards, Scelo Dube, assisted the competing chef in plating his starter
‘The Fusion Cooking School’ Principal, Chef Patron and guest judge on the night, Shaun Smith, prepares his killer chocolate dessert
The creative main ‘Fowl Play’ was Nam Jai House’s big hit of the night
Father and son doubled up as Chef and Sous Chef - Dean and Zyan Marimuthu
Chef Vusi Ngobese of The Protea Hotel Hluhluwe manages a quick smile inbetween plating his starter for the 350 guests
DICE THANKS THE SPONSORS
FOR SUPPORTING THIS
WORTHY CAUSE
Supporters of DICE Hendric and Rina Nel spent the evening with good company at the cook-off
Hanlie and Neels Oosterh i enjoyed j d huis the evening of g od go o food and good f n entertainfu en fun ment m me nt