Last Sunday My Kitchen Rules SA completed its first five-week cycle in which five teams hosted five very different Instant Restaurants, and there was as much action at the table as in the kitchen. The cycle ended with the elimination of the team that posted the lowest score.

Now it’s time to introduce a brand-new group of contestants, who will battle it out over the next five weeks in the second Instant Restaurant phase of the competition, in the hope of making it through to MKR HQ… and walking off with a cool R1-million!

Here they are:

Maj and Joleen

Parkview working moms Maj Larsen and Joleen Moulder, both 43, have known each other for 15 years. They are not necessarily ‘besties’, preferring to describe themselves as “friends in food”.

Their backgrounds are poles apart. Maj (pronounced “My”) is Danish and the owner of ROOM, a home décor store, while Joleen (or Joy to her friends) is Afrikaans and hails from Pretoria, with her professional career playing out in the fast-paced digital innovation space.

When they join forces in the kitchen they give Nordic flavours a South African twist. And their secret weapons in the quest for a competitive edge? Maj’s highly developed palate and creativity and Joleen’s knowledge of quality produce and advanced planning skills.

The moms also share a love for good wine and exploring different types of local gins.

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Donald and Luyanda

Food buddies, professional lifestyle and corporate photographer Donald Chipumha (28) and food blogger and ‘YouTuber” Luyanda Mafanya (24) exude everything you would expect from trendy millennials. They’re adventurous and curious global citizens, live life in the fun lane and are in tune with what’s hip and happening.

Donald and Luyanda believe that food creates experiences and that one should be aware of the context of the food one consumes. It would be irresponsible to judge a plate without knowing its backstory.

Their love for and appreciation of cuisine from a range of cultures have solidified their relationship. Now they want to get even closer together in the kitchen, with one goal only – to bag the money!

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Dirk and Bahia

Afrikaans businessman Dirk Uys (42) from Somerset West met stunning, sophisticated Bahia Karolia (28) in an Indian restaurant in Johannesburg. They became the best of friends, and are now engaged.

Even though Bahia is an Attorney and soon graduates with a Master’s Degree in Law, she has always enjoyed learning about the art of cooking and gained some valuable lessons about experimenting with ingredients and creating taste sensations from her mother, who puts an international spin on Indian food.

It has been Bahia’s dream to learn as much as possible from top chefs on a cooking show. Dirk, who is rather modest about his skills in the kitchen, was the perfect partner. They bring out the best in each other.

They love adding a modern touch to their respective rich food histories and traditional dishes. Expect some eclectic food experiences!

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Ash and Chris

Inspiring cousins Ashley William Van Heerden (25) and Christin Daniels (36), better known as Ash and Chris, grew up together in the same small house in Manenberg and made it their life’s task to uplift and care for their disadvantaged community.

Go-getter single mom Chris, a Risk Manager at a major financial institution, and Ash, who served as a youth advisor for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and now as a project manager at a charity providing services to special needs children and families, are both seasoned travellers.

Now they aspire to bring the world’s flavours to Manenberg’s doorstep and showcase Manenberg’s resilience. Homely and hearty Cape Malay-inspired dishes, infused with global flavours, is how the cousins describe their food style.

For them, food brings people together, while sharing meals represents love, comfort and unbreakable familial bonds. Their drive to serve has inspired them to start a community development project with a focus on the power of food to bring people together.

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 Maritsa and Maradine

Happily married couple of four years, logical operations expert Maritsa Prinsloo (36) and creative photographer Maradine Whitehorn (35) live in the beautiful city of roses, Bloemfontein, where they love to entertain friends and family in their revamped home.

They are farm girls at heart and attribute their culinary skills to their mothers and grandmothers – and a weight loss programme that launched their adventurous cooking journey!

While Maritsa loves experimenting with lamb, rosemary, thyme and lemon, Maradine is the avid dessert maker. Any excuse to combine sugar, butter, eggs and chocolate for a taste sensation will do. However, whether it’s sweet or salty, Maritsa or Maradine, there’s one thing they steadfastly insist on: food should look and taste great!

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In this week’s episode (Sunday, 8 July), Table Two heads to Bloemfontein where Maritsa and Maradine are the lucky pair to host the first Instant Restaurant of the second table. Are they ready for some pressure-cooker rivalry in My Kitchen Rules SA?

My Kitchen Rules SA is broadcast on M-Net channel 101 every Sunday night at 18:00. Viewers can also visit www.mnet.tv/mkr to watch exclusive interviews with the judges and contestants and follow all the breaking news and conversations about the show on Twitter @MNet / #MKRSA or on the official M-Net Facebook page.

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The yummiest local cooking competition on television, My Kitchen Rules South Africa returns to M-Net 101  on 3 June, at 18:00, with celebrity chef and musician J’Something and restaurateur extraordinaire David Higgs reprising their roles as the show’s discerning judges.

During the Instant Restaurant phase there are two tables, each consisting of five foodie pairs – and in the first episode, we meet Table One, hosted by Jamal and Adrie from Rietfontein in Pretoria.

The first five pairs vying to outcook each other and impress the judges are:

Rox & Spoen 

Rox (28) and Spoen (23) Green are sporty, fun-loving, farm girls from the beautiful countryside of Winterton in KZN. Inspired by locally-sourced produce and the seasonal harvest table of Mother Nature, these sisters are all about nutritious, wholesome farm-style food, with a youthful twist.

Like two peas in a pod, they both studied at the University of Stellenbosch, both organise major sports-related public events in the Midlands and have participated in numerous biking competitions around the world.

They love each other’s company and often have a good laugh together – whether they’re experimenting behind the stove, or donning their trainers for a trail run. Spoen appreciates Rox’s zest for life, loyalty and honesty, while Rox knows that her younger sister has the focus and tenacity to pull off anything she sets her mind to.

Tarryn & Diego

Married couple Tarryn (33) and Diego (36) Fernandez live in River Club, Johannesburg, where you’ll often find them experimenting with bold Argentinean-inspired flavours and cooking methods with a distinctive South African flair. Diego, who was born in Buenos Aires, is fluent in Spanish and the couple admit that his cultural background and delicious self-made ingredients often make their way into their dishes. The passionate, football-crazy foodie is also the inventor of authentic Argentinian sauces, the recipes for which, he keeps close to his chest.

Together, Tarryn and Diego form a formidable team who complement each other in surprising ways. Corporate travel manager Tarryn confesses that she’s competitive and opinionated – especially when matters conflict with her no-time-for-nonsense policy. She’s also the messy one in the kitchen, which can sometimes cause Diego to fuss – but they both have a low tolerance for poor attitudes and bad food.

Apart from cooking, Tarryn & Diego enjoy travelling, visiting food markets and exploring the city. Diego has finished the gruelling Comrades Marathon four times and this year they both enjoyed running the Two Oceans Marathon in the Mother City.

Minnie & Tee

Sparkling and vivacious “millennials” Minenhle Ntuli (23) and Nomthandazo Xaba, (20), or “Minnie” and “Tee”, as everyone calls them, met at a TV show audition and immediately became BFFs.

It’s easy to see why the two bubbly soul sisters gel in the kitchen and have great fun cooking together. They’re both studying at the University of KZN, where Minnie is also an active Student Council representative, who was born to be in the entertainment industry. They are both musicians, radio hosts and MCs for private and school events, and share the same food style and tastes.

Minnie and Tee confess that they love eating as much as they love cooking, especially if it’s the type of food you’ll find in a traditional African home. There’s one ingredient they can’t live without – Aromat! In My Kitchen Rules SA, the two entertainers want to show the world that it’s possible to modernise traditional cuisine without diminishing the African experience.

 Jalal & Adrie 

It was love at first sight, more than 22 years ago, when Jalal – who grew up in Casablanca, Morocco – was struck by the green eyes of Sannieshof “boeremeisie” Adrie at Bible College. As is customary in Morocco as a sign of noble intention, he immediately proposed marriage – and just seven months later, they were standing in front of the altar. Since then, Jalal (46) and Adrie (48) have been cooking together every night in their family’s happy place, the kitchen.

The doting mom and dad from Rietfontein, Pretoria describe their food style as “North meets South, fire & ice and sugar & spice”. They enjoy honest, authentic, rustic Mediterranean food and are intrigued by different cultures and languages. For them, food is a unique extra language that they speak with friends and family.

Fitness is very important to Jalal, but when he isn’t boxing, jogging or going to the gym, he keeps his curious mind active by reading up on current affairs. Adrie is an avid reader as well, but prefers fiction in the form of thrillers and crime & historical novels. She also loves creating art with mosaic, paint and pewter.

Kim & Pashi

Soon-to-be-engaged Kamisha Naidoo (27) from Yellowwood Park and Pashi Reddy (32) from Kloof, Durban, describe themselves as soul mates, dreamers, and risk-takers with adventurous palates. Their food is a fusion of ‘old meets new’ and ‘East combined with West’ – all spiced with exotic ingredients and a love for authentic street food and culture.

This dynamic, glamorous duo hope to one day open their own signature restaurant venue filled with culture, theatre, passion, spice and punchy flavours. When they aren’t creating imaginative dishes, Kim and Pashi enjoy extreme outdoor activities. The lovebirds have sky-dived, gone swimming with great white sharks, jumped off cliffs and into gorges and have even gotten lost deep in Africa, with just a map and 4×4.

Kim, a former air hostess who is now studying Educational Psychology, loves make-up artistry and meditation while her business owner beau enjoys games of strategy, like chess and poker, as well as competitive sport.

Table One still has an extensive journey ahead of them, however, as another group of talented home cooks from around the country patiently await their turn to showcase their culinary delights in the same process, before the eight pairs of highest achievers from each group move on to the MKR Kitchen Headquarters in Johannesburg.

The second 5 pairs with their eyes on the pie are:

• Ash & Chris – Manneberg Cousins
• Dirk & Bahia – Engaged couple from Stellenbosch
• Donald & Luyanda – Food Buddies from Johannesburg
• Maj & Joleen – Parkview Mums
• Maritsa & Maradine – Married couple from Bloemfontein

Come for the food and stay for the drama. Tune in on Sunday, 3 June at 18:00 to see what will be brewing in the kitchen of the first Instant Restaurant of My Kitchen Rules SA Season 2!

My Kitchen Rules SA is broadcast on M-Net channel 101 every Sunday night at 18:00. Viewers can also visit www.mnet.tv/mkr to watch exclusive interviews with the judges and contestants, and follow all the breaking news and conversations around the show on Twitter @MNet / #MKRSA or on the official M-Net Facebook page.

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