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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You must be one of millions in South Africa, enticed by M-Net’s World Class local show line-up on Sundays, who sits in front of the TV somewhere between 18:00 and 19:00, getting hungrier as you watch the second season of My Kitchen Rules SA, after already hearing stomach growls during the previous hour when you witnessed the Survivor cast-aways yearning for a decent bite?  As you keep seeing the culinary skills being transformed into those dishes, you know you would really like to taste that for yourself….

But now there is a chance to get an even lekkerder deal. The chefs on a Sunday night, are only contestants, so how about tasting the food on the menu of the couple who actually won the first MKR in SA?

Jamandi and Machiel Bekker are launching their Pop-Up Restaurant Tour this week on the 20th and 21st of June at The Purple Cow in Midstream. Gautengers get to experience the food, made with their skills and a huge dash of their unique sense of humor, before these innovative experiences Pop-Up all across the country, through their Pop-Up Winter Tour, 2018.

The Pop-Up, Restaurant Tour is a delightful extension of their passion for food, as the husband and wife love to entertain family and friends with deliciously hearty and creative dishes.  Jamandi and Machiel are well known for their inspired, yet earthy take on traditional fine dining – and not forgetting their now famous and almost signature Webber Pizzas!

The bubbly pair’s tour will move around South Africa, where they will be visiting every province to share their love for food and entertainment. The launch promises to deliver a combination of good food and the special, authentic #LekkerBekker hospitality they have become popular for.

Guests can also catch up with the dynamic duo’s life after MKR, which has been filled with events, corporate team building functions, expanding their conference and events business, food demos, a social food club at their Guesthouse – Solo Gracia in Bloemfontein, and of course, lots of cooking.

To purchase tickets to their amazing Travelling Restaurants, simply visit The Purple Cow. A ticket will cost you R500.00 and includes KWV‘s premium wine range that is paired with every dish.

For more up-to-date information on where these Pop-Ups, will pop up, visit http://lekkerbekkers.co.za/p17/events/pop-up-restaurant-winter-tour-2018.html

Lekkerrrr….

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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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M-Net confirmed at the spectacular season finale of My Kitchen Rules SA Season 1 on 10 December 2017 that the channel will be embarking on another exciting season of the hit local show.

For all of the aspiring home cooks out there who are keen to show judges David Higgs and J’Something that they’ve got what it takes to clinch the next title of this blockbuster series, auditions for Season 2 of #MKRSA are right around the corner!

Auditions will be taking place on Saturday 13 January and Sunday 14 January respectively across the country in the following cities:

Durban

The Unilever HQ – 15 Nollsworth Crescent, La Lucia Ridge Office Estate;

Cape Town

Mac Suppliers – 32 Benbow Avenue, Goodwood;

Johannesburg

MLK School of Cooking – 44 Rietfontein Road, Glenmarais, Kempton Park.

Entrants are advised to join the MKRSA Season 2 Whatsapp group in order to receive more information, such as top tips, directions to the venues and even the location pins for the big audition day, by simply visiting www.mnet.tv/mkr and clicking on the link provided.

So, what do you need to prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime competition?

You and your fellow foodie partner will have to prepare a cold dish for our panel of judges that you bring with to your audition in a cooler box with ice to ensure that the dish stays fresh. You can prepare anything you like, but your dish should show some flair, innovation and – most of all – your personal style! You will also have to provide the necessary crockery and equipment for plating your dish when you get there.

As was the case in Season 1, M-Net is looking for authentic, honest, everyday South Africans who are passionate about cooking, entertaining, fun and adventure. You must enter with a partner as you will have to work together with your partner and against the clock to impress the show’s two celebrity chef judges and your fellow competitors should you make it into the series.

Entrants must be over the age of 18 by 13 January 2018 and must be South African citizens or permanent residents.

For more information and details about the My Kitchen Rules SA auditions, visit www.mnet.tv/mkr and click on the FAQ page.

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by Louw Mulder

Through the television screen, and more specifically, M-Net’s My Kitchen Rules South Africa, we all got to meet the two ladies from Bloemfontein, Liz and Leanne. Last week saw them baking for the High Tea Challenge, after progressing to the Top 5 of the competition, cooking off against OG & G. Being fortunate enough to be part of the people’s choice for this round, where we saw Liz and Leanne leave the competition, I had the chance to catch up with Leanne van den Berg, whom, will never forget this journey on MKR.

Behind the chef is a real, Afrikaans girl, full of family and moral values. Married to Labour and Corporate Attorney, Jacques van den Berg for a decade next April, they are raising their two princesses, Carmia (8), and Milan (6). “The most important influence in our house is our faith in our Heavenly Father” Leanne said, smiling when she refers to her family. “Our kids have to grow up in confidence so that they can be capable to stand up for themselves, to chase their dreams and not to compromise on what life throws at them.”

Being part of a reality TV series, especially where you are required to be away from home for lengthy periods, may have a huge impact on a tight-knit family like the Van Den Bergs, especially if you have to miss your youngest daughter’s 6th birthday. “It was very hard on my little girls to go up to three weeks without seeing me”, she says: “But Jacques was wonderful, and even learnt how to do their hair.”

Her family is everything to her. She tells somewhat flamboyantly how Jacques proposed to her 3 months after they bumped into each other over a bottle of Zappa, when the Springboks cried victorious over the English that day. The tails and stories she tells, create this perfect family. Like daddy making French toast on Sunday nights when mommy bath the kids, weekends away with the grandparents, and not forgetting bragging about Carmia singing in the Bloemfontein se Kinderkoor. But digging deeper, everything was not just moonlight and roses for Jacques and Leanne’s family…

In 2017, Leanne found out that they were expecting their third one, and needless to say with a family-orientated girl like Leanne, this was excitement beyond belief. Due to complications, she lost her little one only eight weeks into her pregnancy. “I never realised how dangerous a ectopic could be”, she told me courageously. “The whole ordeal was very hard on us, and it was very difficult to tell the girls. Jacques spoke to them when I was in surgery. It is very traumatic to lose a baby, and even more difficult to deal with it, but it made our family stronger. We needed each other, we dried each other’s tears, and took our strength from prayer.”

It was then when Leanne’s face sparkled up: “I just heard this week that I am pregnant with a little boy.” It was as if the hurt in her eyes of just a second ago, was replaced with the recent news of this miracle that has just overwrote the bad hand dealt last year. “It’s amazing how God opens a door when another one closes” she said: ‘The funny thing is, that I lost my baby last year on the 27^th of May, and this little bundle of love is expected to come around the same day in May next year. This is so special, and the emotions will probably explain the tears in the next few episodes”, she says laughing.

Even though we are a few weeks away from knowing who the winners of the first My Kitchen Rules South Africa will be, the journey for Leanne will never be one to forget. She explained the rollercoaster ride with excitement. “I found it hard in the beginning where I had to read bad and mean criticism from the MKR fans on social media, especially when I was referred to as a horrible human being. It was Jacques who got me through it, with his positive attitude.”

The Instant Restaurant is what will bring back the sweetest memories of her journey on MKR. She is in particular very proud of her Gemsbok Fillet, and deep fried poached egg, which set the pace as first cookers of the inaugural series in SA. “There were so many beautiful memories of my childhood, parents and families linked to the food we prepared, and it was all done with love.”

And that is exactly how I can summarise the person behind My Kitchen Rules SA’s Leanne van den Berg. Everything is done with passion and love, growing from the roots within her family. From a husband that had to deal with a new Windpomp in their roof as part of Liz and Leanne’s Instant Restaurant, to two loved little daughters, who are starting to become mini chefs in their own right!

“My advice for people out there, is that if it feels right, there are no time constraints. Don’t wait, grow with each other through the difficult times, and through the sunshine times, because it is just there where the love and bond between you and your family are built on. Laugh together, send your kids to Ouma and Oupa, and as husband and wife, spend some time alone.”

The final of My Kitchen Rules South Africa will be broadcast on Sunday 10 December on M-Net. Who will winn the Million Rand? MKR airs every Sunday at 18:00.

The post We Talk to Leanne van den Berg appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Fancy seeing yourself on television, winning fabulous prizes in a top-notch prime time show? M-Net is inviting pairs of home cooks to showcase their flair for food and ability to turn their living space into instant restaurants.

M-Net announced that it will be whipping up a local version of yet another blockbuster reality show. Later this year, M-Net 101 viewers will witness how the knives come out and all kinds of drama and delectable dishes unfold in pressure-cooker settings in the South African version of My Kitchen Rules. If you want to be part of all the magic, however, you will have to get your culinary act together chop-chop.

Based on the popular Australian show, which is already in its eighth season Down Under, and which had M-Net 101 audiences glued to their screens in the channel’s daily reality slot recently, My Kitchen Rules South Africa will showcase a diverse range of local foodie pairs who will have to cook and entertain up a storm in order to go all the way to the final and win some fabulous prizes.

While your “partner” for the series can be anyone from your spouse to your best friend, neighbour, brother or mother, there are two phases to the competition. First, in the “Instant Restaurant” round the cooking pairs have to host the show’s other contestants as well as two celebrity chefs in their own home. Then, in the second phase, the action continues with a series of challenges in the My Kitchen Rules South Africa (MKR) kitchen headquarters as well as in various locations around South Africa.

But how do you enter this once-in-a-lifetime television adventure and who will make it onto the show?

“M-Net and the My Kitchen Rules team will be looking for real people who love real food,” says Jan du Plessis, Director: M-Net channels. “We’re inviting authentic, honest, everyday South Africans who are passionate about cooking, entertaining and having fun and who can put together a creative menu in their own personal style. There should also be a real connection between you and the person who will be working by your side. It’s important that you have a strong relationship, no matter what type of chemistry you may endure when the pots, pans, crockery and cutlery come out. But it will all start with a cold dish… served in a hot way!”

For the open auditions, the pairs need to wow the My Kitchen Rules team with a cold dish of their choice – which can be a starter, main course or dessert. Contestants need to arrive at the venue with the ingredients or dish packed in a cooler box with ice to ensure that the meal stays fresh. Tables will be provided to plate the dish for presentation but all the elements must be ready for assembly, as well as all the necessary equipment and crockery for plating.

Both members of the team also have to be South African citizens or have permanent residence status. Participants also need to be 18 years old by 1 June 2017.

Open auditions for My Kitchen Rules South Africa will take place between 08:00 and 17:00 at the following venues:

Johannesburg – 27 May and 28 May

International Hotel School

4 Kikuyo road, Sunninghill, Sandton

Cape Town – 3 June and 4 June

International Hotel School

2^nd Floor, 106 Adderley street, Cape Town

Durban – 3 June and 4 June

International Hotel School

124 Jan Hofmeyr road, Westville, Durban

To shortcut the process, you can also enter online! If your entry is submitted 48 hours before the open auditions begin in your city, we can process it and you will benefit from a fast track at the audition. Submit your entry online, go to the fast track desk on arrival at the open auditions and if your name is on the list, you will skip the registration process and be able to jump the queue.

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