Picture:SUPPLIED
Mdantsane resident local and self-taught cook Anam Xinwa has become been a hot contender in making waves in local cooking competitions. since he started competing in 2011.
“I fell in love with cooking at the age of 10, but never took it seriously as it was just a hobby.
“As soon as I relocated to Johannesburg eight years ago, people started booking me for my cooking skills.
“This is where my love really began to bloom and I started entering cooking competitions,” Xinwa said.
His first win in a cooking competition was at the Alberton Braai Competition in 2014.
“It has always been my dream to compete against the best of the best in the country at the Ultimate Braaimaster.
“I tried out for season four [2016], but didn’t make it through.
“Then I tried again for season six with my friend Hlabi Msibi. We made it through but we were the third team to be eliminated,” he said.
Xinwa said he would will try again for season eight and just needed to find another partner.
“Competition teaches you a lot and you get to experience the other side of open-fire cooking. These are the skills that I am currently using.”
Xinwa is currently raising funds to attend the Beer and Braai Festival in Botswana.
“The cost of my trip is around R30,000. That will include flights, accommodation, renting of equipment once I get to Botswana and also branded gear that I will use once I’m there,” he said.
Xinwa recently started an online campaign to raise the necessary funds.
“I came back to the Eastern Cape as I saw that I needed to share what I have learnt from my travels. I have hope that I will get a following and support from the people of my province,” said Xinwa said.
As a former Zwelethemba Technical College student, the cook also has a qualification in clothing production.
“I have an online fashion journal called iLaphulam African Fashion Journal. iLaphulam means ‘my fabric’ in Xhosa,” he said.
To donate towards Xinwa’s trip to Botswana, contact him on: the following social media accounts: Facebook: mshotolo; Twitter: @mshotolo_inc; Instagram: @mshotolo_inc; or his Facebook page: For The Love Of Cooking (FTLOC).
