The table is set

The heat is on as the first batch of contestants set out to impress judges David Higgs and J’Something with their instant restaurants on Season 4 of cooking competition My Kitchen Rules South Africa (MKRSA), which starts on Sunday 4 September on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 18:00.

The judges are waiting to be blown away by the 10 teams of home cooks, who are hunting for flavour, fun and R1 million cash prize. Besides the dynamic challenges and epic meals, viewers can expect more blood, sweat & tears than ever before.

Here are the first five pairs who’ll be dishing up the drama:

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Azraa (28) and Waven (30), Johannesburg

Having been huge fans of the cooking show, married couple Azraa and Waven are now living their dream. Azraa is a baker and entrepreneur while Waven is a personal trainer. They cultivated an interest in cooking while they were in high school – where they also met and both studied hospitality. Their shared food dream is to open an artisan bakery and café where they would make and sell fresh quality baked goods, host special occasions and teach other people how to bake, decorate cakes and cook.

Azraa loves peri-peri prawns and calamari and Waven is a mutton bunny chow fan. The pair state that they cook with their hearts and only measure and weigh ingredients when they’re baking.

Jessica (32) and Nicole (26), Johannesburg

Attorney Jessica entered MKRSA to be right next to her sister Nicole, who is her kitchen co-conspirator. Jessica seeks to support Nicole’s insane and incredible cooking talents. The attorney will be doing most of her learning in the MKRSA kitchen as her signature dish of toasted cheese, coupled with an ability to make anything she can cook in an air fryer, and turning 2-minute noodles into gourmet ramen, are more survival skills than culinary ones.

Nicole is a teacher who’s also a kitchen whizz. She’d like to own a little restaurant or café that changes its menu weekly, or a food truck that does pop-up champagne brunches. Her signature dishes are risotto, lamb shanks, carrot cake, and brownies, amongst other dishes.

Larcé (37) and Jabu (39), Strubens Valley

Larcé learned to cook from her parents, so it’s no surprise that her favourite South African dishes are her father’s braaied meat as well as his curry and rice, and she also enjoys her mother’s vegetable bake. Larcé will love to open a restaurant with her father, but understands how challenging that can be, so entered MKRSA to increase her food knowledge and learn more about the industry.

Creative agency Business Unit Director Jabu entered MKRSA to enhance her cooking skills – but also because her friend and co-cook Larcè forced her to! Jabu loves cooking authentic and traditional food, basing her cooking on an understanding of flavours, rather than a recipe book. Her favourite South African foods are jeqe and stews or curries.

Martin (37) and Eddie (65), Riebeek-West

Pensioner Eddie says he can make a great curry from scratch and loves the bigger cuts of meat, like leg of lamb, pork belly or shoulder. His cooking is a fusion of the Afrikaner family meals he grew up eating with Indian influences from growing up in KZN. Given the chance, he’d gladly tuck into a meal of boerewors and pap, with shesheba.

Partnering with Eddie is his son-in-law Martin, who shamelessly says he entered MKRSA to try to win the R1 million prize! A winemaker by trade, he says that no great story ever started with “I had a salad”, and he enjoys boerewors rolls and pannekoek.

Mark (27) and Mbali (27), Durban

Mark and Mbali met in 2010 when they were paired in Zulu class at school and hit it off – and remain best friends. He’s a Consultant at a financial institution – as well as an influencer – and she’s an Architect. Mark entered MKRSA to amplify his cooking skills and challenge himself. Mark wants to modernise African dishes and give them some flair – and loves pizza, burgers and ‘anything with curry’.

Mbali was taught to cook by her mother, sisters and aunts who saw it as a mandatory skill for a young woman. Her signature dishes are traditional Zulu meals like steam bread and samp & beans – and her favourite SA dish is a lamb bunny chow. She’d love to document different types of cuisine from off-the-map areas and would also like to open a breakfast & brunch spot with Mark.

Watch My Kitchen Rules SA, from Sunday 4 September on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 18:00.

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