Deena Naidoo (45), an I.T. specialist from Durban, has won the title of South Africa's first MasterChef in the 90-minute grand finalé of M-Net's MasterChef South Africa tonight (Tuesday, 24 July), beating out Woodstock lighting designer Sue-Ann Allen (30) in a grueling three-part cook-off.
The finale was the culmination of 19 weeks of invention tests, mystery boxes and pressure tests which saw Deena triumphing over 17 fellow finalists to win what the channel billed as "the biggest prize in reality television history", which includes a R250,000 cash prize, a car and his very own restaurant at the Tsogo Sun.
At the start of the episode Deena and Sue-Ann were flown to Johannesburg for a night in the glamorous Presidential Suite of the Palazzo Hotel at MonteCasino.
The two finalists were whisked off for the dinner of a lifetime at the MondoVino restaurant at Tsogo Sun's SunSquare, which forms part of Deena's prize package, where a three-course dinner was cooked especially for them by the MasterChef judges, Pete Goffe-Wood, Benny Masekwameng and Andrew Atkinson.
ANDREW BLOODY ATKINSON! HAVE. YOU. GOT. THAT?!!
Haha. Gotta love that guy. OKAY???!!!
MasterChef South Africa's Les Enfants Terribles
But the next morning it was back to reality as the two finalists headed back into the MasterChef kitchen in Paarl for the cook-off from hell.
Deena and Sue-Ann competed in three different stages: first a mystery box challenge with an all-veggie box of ingredients, from which Sue-Ann prepared beetroot and goats' cheese samoosas with crispy fried ribbons of vegetables and a herbed mayonnaise and Deena made a sautéed brussels sprouts, roasted root vegetables and a parsnip purée.
Next up was an invention test, from which Sue-Ann produced a beef fillet in a red wine and porcini mushroom broth and Deena prepared a coriander-crusted lamb loin with honey and mustard.
The final round was a pressure test in which the finalists reproduced a complicated deconstructed milk tart dessert consisting of thin pastry layers with a base of cinnamon and apple gel and piped-out milk tart filling, topped with crystallized fennel seeds and a spun sugar spiral and served with a baby basil and "appel moes" (apple purée).
Haven't these people heard of ice-cream and hot chocnut sauce? Burgers and fries? No...?
Deena and his wife Kathy
As South Africa's first-ever MasterChef, Deena received the biggest prize package in South African television history. The R8-million prize includes:
R250,000 from Robertsons
A Hyundai Elantra 1.6 GLS
A seven-day culinary experience in Italy and an Italian cookery course
A year's supply of Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve wines and a customised sommelier course and one-on-one MasterClasses with Nederburg's cellarmaster
His very own Tsogo Sun restaurant, the MondoVino, at Tsogo Sun's SunSquare Montecasino, for a period of two years.
Deena receiving his cash prize from Robertsons
The Mondo Vino restaurant will be relaunched on 1 November with Deena at the helm. We've no idea what will become of his I.T. job, but clearly Deena has found his calling.
Of course, the previous chef at the MondoVino was judge Benny, so with Deena taking Benny's job Benny is moving up to become the face of food and beverage at the Tsogo Sun. He'll no doubt be keeping a firm eye on Deena as well...
Thus ends an excellent first season of MasterChef, which earns TVSA's award for Best South African Reality Competition Series of 2012. Here's hoping we can come back for seconds...