Yesterday I attended a section of the Kfm Breakfast Show broadcast, as a member of the studio-audience, to welcome MasterChef Australia judge Matt Preston, who is visiting Cape Town. Preston praised Cape Town for being ‘an amazing city‘, having eaten at eight restaurants alone on Tuesday.
Even though I had hardly seen any MasterChef Australia episodes, I applied to Kfm to attend the visit to the studio by the almost 2 meter tall Preston, after Blogger Anel Potgieter raved about meeting him at the Good Food & Wine Show in Johannesburg over the weekend. We were part of a studio audience of at least 30 at the Primedia Broadcasting studios in Green Point, the majority of the attendees being serious MasterChef Australia fans. We were offered coffee
and breakfast snacks such as fruit salad and cream, as well as salmon sandwiches, not quite MasterChef quality!
Presenter Ryan O’Connor invited us to sit down, coming into the live studio with Preston as well as Chef and MasterChef SA judge Pete Goffe-Wood, as well as the rest of the Breakfast Show team consisting of sport presenter Sibongile Mafu, traffic presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen, and surf reporter Deon Bing. Deon had made a toasted cheese and 
beef burger with a beef jus, which he described as containing years old aged beef, to which he had added equally old cheese, making everyone laugh. As a joke, Chef Pete and Preston had to evaluate the dish which came with IPA, the judges clearly preferring the beer. Bing was advised to keep his day job! Studio audience member Claudia Ross had been asked to prepare a dish for the MasterChef judges to evaluate too. Her Malay chicken curry was highly praised, described as being ‘lovely’.
Chef Pete spoke about Season 3 of MasterChef SA, which hits the pan on Thursday 21 August, being the best ever in terms of the level of contestants, he said. Both Preston and Chef Pete laughed about the disasters that happen off-screen, which viewers never get to see. Chef Pete spoke about new MasterChef SA judge Reuben Robertsons Pop Up and Pop In Riffel, who has taken over from previous Seasons 1 and 2 judge Chef Andrew Atkinson. Chef Pete and I chatted after the show about ‘Hayden Quinn: South Africa’, which he described as an ‘Infomercial‘, a very good description of the Woolworths-dominant content. He supports our question as to ‘why Hayden Quinn‘, and asking why a local chef was not used! He had heard that Quinn had visited South Africa last year, to sell his concept for a show.
It is clear that Preston was in town to market his third book, called simply ‘Cook Book’, which will be available from 12 October. He said that the book is inspired by one of his ancestors, who had written a book on entertaining. The book will help cooking enthusiasts in preparing perfect food as simply as possible, without requiring complex equipment or using complicated techniques. Whilst in Cape Town, Preston has been interviewed by Eat Out at Truth in Buitenkant Street and ate at Chef’s Warehouse on Monday; on Tuesday his food journey of Cape Town included Giovanni’s, Jason’s, The Kitchen, and The Dining Room; yesterday he had the
Kfm gig, and he met with Sarie Food editor Herman Lensing. Whilst in the South Africa, he has tried ostrich, biltong, koeksisters, and bobotie.
Preston is known for wearing cravats, and his Twitter handle is @MattsCravat! Ryan surprised Preston with a gift of a cravat in the colours of the South African flag, and his face seemed to say that there is no way that he will wear it! We were promised some question time by Ryan initially, but after about half an hour, the broadcast was done, and Preston patiently posed with all his fans for photographs.
It was a fun way to start the day, and I am determined to watch the new 2015 series of MasterChef Australia.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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