He's a big deal in the world of cookery, festivals, DStv and now MasterChef South Africa. Celebrity judge Reuben Riffel has signed on for the new season of MasterChef SA, stepping into the shoes of series regular judge Andrew Atkinson. Shoes that Andrew couldn't see by the end of last season after all the tasting he'd done over two seasons of judging challenges.
I'm convinced that Andrew's decided to leave the show in an attempt to control his tummy-weight but official word is that he's left because he's got a full-time new job as Executive Chef at a hotel chain and it's too demanding for him to shoot the show as well.
I'm very much in the dark when it comes to famous cooking types but one thing I
do know is that this Reuben oke's well known and renowned. I keep seeing him all over the place in DStv promos - he also guest judged on MasterChef SA last season.
If you're into cooking and know your stuff I'm sure that you'll know his background and credentials but if you're like me and don't know all the titbits about him, here's some insight:
Reuben Riffel began his career in the town that he was born – Franschhoek. He started off at the Monneaux restaurant, establishing it as one of the Top 10 restaurants in South Africa, before moving to Cambridge, UK.
After racking up rave reviews abroad, he returned to his roots and his flagship restaurant Reuben’s currently finds its home in Franschhoek.
In 2009, Riffel opened his second Reuben’s at a boutique country hotel in the Robertson wine valley, and shortly thereafter the third Reuben’s was opened at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
His awards list includes that of Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year in the Eat Out awards of 2004, and Reuben’s in Franschhoek was ranked in South Africa’s Top 10 restaurants for three consecutive years. In addition to his successful restaurant portfolio, Reuben has also published 3 best-selling cookbooks.
PS: Judges Benny Masekwameng and Peter Goffe-Wood will be back for the new season.
PPS: If you want to audition for the season, auditions start on 15 February 2014 - for more, see:
MasterChef SA calls for chefs for new season