The Eastern Cape leg of the first-ever Mzansi Tavern Cook-off competition took place at the Blue Ribbon Catering and Hospitality School on Tuesday and Mandisi Dlokolo, the owner of M & N Place in Motherwell, Gqeberha, emerged as the regional winner of the competition, walking away with R30,000.
Fifteen top tavern chefs from East London, Gqeberha, and Mthatha put their best culinary skills forward by creating various dishes to be served to patrons at their different establishments.
This competition, which is a partnership between Distell Crafting Brands, Nederburg Wines, and National Liquor Traders, has been designed to promote food serving at taverns and combat binge drinking and alcohol abuse.
Clarence Sibiya, general sales manager of Distell, said that this competition was a way to assist tavern owners in boosting their profits and creating a more responsible environment for customers.
“The initiative was born during lockdown when we saw that many businesses were closing down and people were losing their livelihoods.
“It’s all about diversifying the industry and finding ways to combat alcohol abuse, create streams of income, and encourage job creation. We showed our customers ways to make money from more than just selling alcohol but also selling food,” said Sibiya.
Drinks Federation of South Africa chair Monhla Hlahla shared her sentiments about the importance of food serving in taverns, highlighting the need for a solution to SA’s alcohol problem.
“Here we are creating solutions to alcohol abuse and excessive drinking. We need to change our relationship with alcohol. We need to get into healthier options for drinking.
“So instead of drowning our sorrows in wine and beer, we can have a glass of water and a meal in between.
“If we get our chefs involved, they can help take care of their patrons when they drink so that we can be healthier and more responsible,” said Hlahla.
The panel of judges included master of chefs Peter Goffe-Wood and Bennie Masekwameng, as well as Hlahla. Contestants had to prepare delicious dishes that were judged based on taste, creativity, affordability and presentation.
Masekwameng said he was very impressed with the various dishes that were presented.
“We really enjoyed the food and the experiences we had. We could see the passion the chefs have for their food.
“We loved hearing the stories behind the food. Using food for storytelling is something we missed at previous competitions and we experienced it in abundance here. Special mention must be made of Gwebindlala Tavern and Smarts Tavern for their delicious dishes and presentation,” said Masekwameng.
Dlokolo expressed his joy at being announced as the regional winner and receiving the opportunity to compete in the grand finale.
“This is my first time winning anything like this. I was very confident with my spicy chicken dish and I’m very happy the judges liked it too.
“I am very excited to go back to my wife in Gqeberha and share the good news with her,” said Dlokolo.
