Mandisi Dlokolo’s passion for cooking started at an early age. He began his career doing maintenance work at a hotel in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, but his true love was always in the kitchen.
He used to help out in the hotel’s kitchen and with his “sharp eyes,” he learned the art of cooking. Years later, Dlokolo started his own tavern in Motherwell, where he would serve up a dish that would eventually change his life.
Every Monday, he would cook “Monday Chicken” and offer it for free to his loyal patrons. The dish was a hit, and people started coming from all over just to taste it.
Dlokolo knew he had something special, and he decided to participate in the Mzansi Tavern Chef competition. He had never entered a cooking competition before, but he was determined to show the world what he was capable of.
The competition was fierce, with 15 contestants from East London, Gqeberha, and Mthatha battling it out in the Blue Ribbon Catering and Hospitality School in East London. The judges, including master chefs Peter Goffe-Wood and Benny Masekwameng, were blown away by the standard of cooking on display.
But in the end, it was Dlokolo’s “Monday Chicken” that stole the show. Masekwameng praised the dish for its well-balanced combination of herbs and spices and perfectly cooked chicken, simmered to keep the pieces intact, tasty, and juicy.
He was crowned the Eastern Cape provincial Mzansi Tavern Chef champion and awarded prizes worth R30 000 towards food serving in his tavern.
“We’ve been simply blown away by the standard of cooking we’ve experienced here today and picking a winner has been tough,” said Goffe-Wood. “We are discovering just how much cooking talent we have, which just needs the right encouragement and support to shine, and I hope this competition becomes a catalyst for township food culture to grow.”
Dlokolo’s victory was not just a personal triumph but also a victory for the promotion of food serving in taverns. The Tavern Chef competition was the apex of a campaign by Distell to promote food serving in taverns as one of the measures to address binge drinking. The idea is that eating food before and during alcohol consumption is a practical way to regulate consumption and avoid intoxication.
Food serving in taverns has the dual benefit of helping to moderate consumption and promote a responsible, more sociable atmosphere, while also creating an additional revenue stream for the outlet, which can drive township economic development and employment.
For Dlokolo, winning the competition was a dream come true. It gave him the confidence to pursue his passion for cooking and to take his business to the next level. He recently closed his fish and chips outlet due to load shedding, but he plans to convert it into a restaurant.
With his newfound fame and success, Dlokolo is determined to grow his business and inspire others to follow their dreams.
“Winning this competition has given me a platform to showcase my talent, and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Dlokolo said. “I hope this competition becomes a catalyst for township food culture to grow, and for other chefs like me to pursue their passion for cooking.”
Distell head of corporate affairs in Southern Africa, Jolene Henn, said the competition builds on the company’s food-serving campaign through its Bansela customer rewards programme, which rewards taverners for serving food and water, as well as complying with liquor license trading principles.
“Our aim with this competition is to amplify the message to drink responsibly and in moderation,” Henn said. “From the talent on display here today and the standard of cooking we have seen, I can only say that tavern chefs in the rest of the country are in for a real battle for the ultimate prize of a R100 000 tavern makeover.”
For Dlokolo, winning the competition has given him a platform to showcase his culinary skills and take his business to new heights. “I am honoured to have won this competition, and I am grateful for the opportunity it has given me,” he said. “I hope to continue serving delicious meals to my patrons and to grow my business even further.”
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