Shannon Smuts from Cape Town was the first MasterChef SA Season 2 Finalist to have been eliminated in a complicated warthog Pressure Test, and the bouncy and bubbly contestant was missed for her quirky interviews in between the cooking action.  Feeling that she had to prove herself, she was motivated to make a dream come true, which was to open her own restaurant Pure Good, which is a mere two weeks old.  True to its name, it is health-orientated, its signage promising ‘healthy food/happy people’.

Shannon is very health conscious, and her first challenge after the MasterChef SA elimination, which was a knock due to the suddenness of it and the ‘demoralising’ immediate departure from the MasterChef SA kitchen without the opportunity to say goodbye to her fellow contestants, was to participate in a half Ironman in East London.  She was working for Associated Magazines at the time, as a graphic designer for Good Housekeeping, and heard that the owner of Carlucci’s was looking to sell all three his local restaurant/delis, one of them being on the ground floor of her employer’s building.  She took over their lease, and bought their equipment, painted the interior white to give it a fresh look after its dreary grey interior, and chose a lime zest colour to reflect that her restaurant is all about freshness and health.  The colour is reflected in the counter, in the table legs and chairs, the waiters’ aprons, and the menu.  A shelf reflects her green theme, in displaying baskets, and gardening boots and tools.  Elsewhere some boots served as ‘vases’ for flowers.  A glass vase near the counter had an unusual display of lilies with lemons.  A fridge displays salads, fruit salad, and other take-away food items, as well as colddrinks and mineral water. Continue reading →